Delaware Skipper - Alabama Butterfly Atlas

Butterfly: Wingspan: 1 to 1½ inches (2.54 - 3.81 cm) UPPER SURFACE (dorsal) Bright orange with dark borders and veins. Male forewing has hook-shaped black mark. Female borders wider, more veining, and two dark forewing patches. Wing fringe orange. UNDER SURFACE (ventral) Golden orange. Unmarked. Very long proboscis.

Egg: Whitish when laid. With maturation, color deepens and irreguarly-shaped red rings appear.

Caterpillar: Bluish white with darker heartline on back; slender. Body covered with tiny dark tubercles. Posterior has two black crescents. Head whitish with dark edges and three dark stripes on face. Collar has white and black ring. First pair of legs (thoracic) darker than next two pairs. Partially grown caterpillars overwinter.

Chrysalis: Yellowish with black head, upper thorax, and abdomen. Black stripes across upper body. Black veins in wing cases. Slender.

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Delaware Skippers are small, bright orange skippers. This adaptable species favors wetland areas for breeding but can be found in a wide variety of sunny, flowery habitats when seeking nectar. Purple, pink, and white flowers are favored--think thistles, mountain mints, blazing stars, and button bush. They access nectar with an exceptionally long proboscis.

Males perch on low grasses to look for unmated females, especially near depressions or near water. At times they perch on bare ground. Freshly emerged males sip minerals from damp earth. They are rapid flyers, often appearing as a bright orange flash in the air. Females deposit single white eggs on host plant blades. The eggs soon develop beautiful red rings. Caterpillars construct shelters by tying leaves together with silk. Partially grown larvae of the final generation cap their shelters with plugs of silk and spend the winter within it. Pupation occurs in spring.

Delaware Skippers occur across the eastern United States. They are probably more widespread in Alabama than current records indicate.

A dot on the county map indicates that there is at least one documented record of the species within that county. In some cases, a species may be common throughout the county, in others it may be found in only a specific habitat. The High Count information shows the highest numbers recorded for this species as well as when and where they occurred.

The sightings bar graphs depict the timing of flight(s) within each of three geographic regions. Place your cursor on a bar within the graph to see the number of individuals recorded during that period.

The abundance calendar displays the total number of individuals recorded within each week of the month. Both the graphs and the calendar are on based data collection that began in 2000.

The records analyzed here are only a beginning. As more data is collected, these maps and graphs will paint a more accurate picture of distribution and abundance in Alabama. Submit your sightings to albutterflyatlas@gmail.com.

Sightings in the following counties: Baldwin, Cleburne, Colbert, Coosa, DeKalb, Jackson, Madison, Mobile, Randolph, Washington

Sightings in the past 5 years
Sightings in the past 5 - 10 years
Sightings more than 10 years ago

High count(s):

7 - Baldwin - 9/11/2023
6 - Baldwin - 9/20/2024
4 - Baldwin - 9/29/2024

View county names by moving the mouse over a county or view a map with county names

Jan				Feb				Mar				Apr				May				Jun				Jul				Aug				Sep				Oct				Nov				Dec
1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4
			2															3	7	6	2	1	2	2	5	8	1	7	9	9	13	7	9	7	5

Wide variety of habitats including wet or dry savannas, fields, pond edges, marshes, dry pine forests, utility-right-of ways, parks, and gardens.

Delaware Skipper (*Anatrytone logan*)

County

© Sara Bright

Pine savanna

Reports from nearby states list bluestem grasses (Andropogon spp.) Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) and other panic grasses, canes (Arundenaria spp.), Lopsided Indian Grass (Sorghastrum secundum), and the invasive Cogon Grass (Imperata cylindrica).

In Alabama, specific host plants have not been documented.

Provide a variety of garden worthy, nectar-rich flowers to attract butterflies like the Delaware Skipper. These include Butterfly Milkweed and other milkweeds; Purple Coneflower and other coneflowers; black eyed susans; phloxes; mountain mints; Common Buttonbush; Joe Pye weeds; gayfeathers/blazing stars; Mistflower; ironweeds; asters; and goldenrods.

If you have a lawn in your landscape, consider letting it be natural. The diverse assemblage of native and nonnative flowering plants and grasses typically found in naturalized lawns provides nectar and host sources for many small butterflies including Delaware Skippers

Delaware Skipper (Anatrytone logan) Photos

Click on individual photos to view a larger version that includes photo credits, county, and date.
Photos with comments are indicated by a small, tan dot on the bottom right.