Zabulon Skipper - Alabama Butterfly Atlas

Butterfly: Wingspan: 1 - 1½ inches (2.5 - 3.5 cm) UPPER SURFACE (dorsal) Male bright yellow orange with narrow black borders. Variable dark patch near forewing tip. Female all dark with glassy (hyaline) marks on outer forewing. UNDER SURFACE (ventral) Male has broad yellow hindwing patch with rusty brown dots. Female mahogany brown with lavender frosting. White edging on upper hindwing edge.

Egg: Dome shaped. White.

Caterpillar: Pale brown to greenish with pinkish hue; covered with fine short hairs, giving a velvety appearance. Head dark. Collar white with thin black ring. First three pairs of legs (thoracic) light brown. Partially grown caterpillars overwinter.

Chrysalis: Dirty white, becoming pink toward thorax. May be covered with covered with white, powdery down.

Butterfly ID Thumbnail — Get Identification Help

Zabulon Skippers are woodland butterflies, and although they may wander in search of nectar sources, they seldom stray far from forested areas. Males perch on sunlit branches five or six feet above the ground and aggressively defend their territories— “dogfights” are common. Females usually stay in more shaded areas where their darker coloration helps to camouflage them in the shadows. They lay single eggs on host grass blades. Caterpillars live in rolled leaf shelters and usually eat at night. Partially grown larvae overwinter in a tightly silked tubular shelter. They complete development the following spring.

This handsome species was once called Southern Golden Skipper, and although it is southern-based, by summer's end, it ranges throughout much of the eastern U.S. In Alabama, it is widespread and probably occurs in every county.

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: Bibb, Blount, Bullock, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Chilton, Clay, Cleburne, Coffee, Colbert, Cullman, Dale, Dallas, DeKalb, Elmore, Etowah, Franklin, Greene, Hale, Jackson, Jefferson, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Lowndes, Macon, Madison, Marengo, Marion, Marshall, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Perry, Pickens, Pike, Randolph, Shelby, St. Clair, Sumter, Talladega, Tuscaloosa, Walker, Washington, Wilcox

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

High count(s):

29 - Jackson - 5/15/2021
28 - DeKalb - 5/14/2021
28 - Lawrence - 7/5/2019

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
									1	6	34	45	68	86	147	185	250	113	46	14	14	32	56	95	86	77	72	76	106	76	99	64	44	37	22	10				1

Grassy openings near forest edges, stream corridors, roadsides, pastures, old fields, and edges of wetlands. Sometimes wanders into suburban gardens..

Zabulon Skipper (*Lon zabulon*)

County

© Paulette Haywood Ogard

Streambank

Reports from nearby states list wild ryes (Elymus spp.), bentgrasses (Agrostis spp.), Orchard Grass (Dactylis glomerata.), bluegrasses (Poa spp.), Purple Top (Tridens flava ), Small-fruited Panic Grass (Panicum microcarpon), and lovegrasses (Eragrostis spp.). Slender Spikegrass/Slender Wood Oats (Chasmanthium laxum) is suspected in Florida.

In Alabama, Japanese Stilt Grass (Microstegium vimineum) has been documented. This highly invasive, alien plant grows in the shade, spreads rapidly, and is very difficult to eradicate.

Japanese Stilt Grass (Microstegium vimineum) - Host Plant

For more information about these plants, please visit the Alabama Plant Atlas using the links above.

Provide a variety of garden worthy, nectar-rich flowers to attract butterflies like the Zabbulon 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 Zabulon Skippers.

Zabulon Skipper (Lon zabulon) 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.