Tawny-edged Skipper - Alabama Butterfly Atlas

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Tawny-edged Skipper is the quintessential meadow skipper, occurring in a host of sunny, open habitats. In the first half of the twentieth century, it was considered one of the most widespread and common skippers in the eastern U.S., but times have changed. Although it is still widespread, Tawnies are not as common as they once were, perhaps because of widespread development and destruction of meadow habitats.

Tawny-edged Skippers nectar frequently, using a variety of meadow wildflowers. Males perch on low roosts to look for potential mates. Females place single eggs on the blades of host grasses. Caterpillars use silk to tie blades together to form tubular shelters. They eat the upper part of the blades until eventually, a new shelter is required. Pupation occurs at the base of the plant in a shelter constructed from duff and grass stems. The caterpillar seals it with a thick plug of wax flakes (made by special abdominal wax glands) and silk. The chrysalis is formed within the shelter. Partially grown caterpillars from the year's last brood plug their shelter and spend the winter within it, completing development in the spring.

Tawny-edged Skippers fly throughout the eastern two-thirds of the United States. In Alabama they are under-reported due to identification problems and probably occur in every county.

Distribution and Abundance

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, Bibb, Calhoun, Chilton, Clay, Cleburne, Colbert, Dallas, DeKalb, Escambia, Hale, Jackson, Jefferson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Lee, Marengo, Marshall, Mobile, Monroe, Montgomery, Perry, Pickens, Pike, Shelby, Sumter, Tuscaloosa

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

High count(s):

10 - Cleburne - 6/7/2014
7 - Bibb - 9/15/2012
6 - Cleburne - 6/5/2015

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	2	3	7	12	7	16	24	23	7	2	2	4	1	10	12	4	13	5	19	22	17	18	26	6	6	4	1

Habitat

Open grassy areas that are damp or wet including fields and wet meadows, roadsides, utility right-of-ways, stream banks, and suburban landscapes.

Tawny-edged Skipper (*Polites themistocles*)

County

© Sara Bright

Grassy stream

Host and Nectar Plants

Reports from nearby states list Kentucky Bluegrass (Poa pratensis), panic grasses (Panicum spp.), Slender Crabgrass (Digitaria filiformis), witchgrassses (Dichanthelium spp.), Centipede Grass (Eremochloa ophiuroides), and mannagrasses (Glyceria spp.).

The following has been documented in Alabama, but it is likely that other grasses are also used:

LIttle Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) - Host Plant

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

Landscaping Ideas

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