Hayhurst's Scallopwing - Alabama Butterfly Atlas

Hayhurst's Scallopwing (Staphylus hayhurstii)

Butterfly: Wingspan: 1 - 1¼ inches (2.5 - 3.2 cm). Hayhurst’s Scallopwing is the easiest to identify of all of Alabama’s spread-wing skippers.The wing margins are uniquely scalloped. It is a relatively small dark skipper.The upperwing surfaces are dark brownish-black and interspersed with tiny white flecks. Males are darker than females.

Egg: Pale coral-pink eggs laid singly on undeside of host leaves. Turban-shaped.

Caterpillar: Green with numerous tiny white or yellow dots covering body. A faint white sub-dorsal stripe extends down body. Dark head lacks markings.

Chrysalis: Pale olive brown with rusty-orange tinge on abdomen. Often partially covered with white powdery substance

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Males perch on sunlit leaves on low vegetation near the edges of shaded woods. They perch and nectar with their wings fully spread.

Young caterpillars construct a retreat by folding leaves, tying them together, and lining them with silk. The caterpillars remain within their retreat during the daytime, but come out at night to feed on host plant leaves. During the fall months, mature caterpillars drop to the ground and overwinter in a leaf shelter. Pupation occurs within the shelter in the spring.

This unique species seems to be rare in Alabama.

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: Cullman, Jackson, Jefferson, Marshall

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

High count(s):

2 - Jefferson - 4/19/2007
2 - Jackson - 7/14/2017
1 - Jefferson - 7/4/1999

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	2										2	2	1	1		1	3

Hayhurst’s Scallopwing often prefers disturbed areas wherever its weedy host plants grow. This includes moist and shady areas often along streams that flow through wooded areas. However, this skipper may also be encountered in nearby open woods, roadsides and gardens where it nectars.

In addition to Lamb's Quarters, in nearby states, larvae have also been observed to occasionally feed on Japanese Chaff Flower (Alternanthera japonica) and Juba's Bush (Iresine diffusa) in the pigweed family (Amaranthaceae).

Lamb's Quarters is the only documented host in Alabama.

Lamb's Quarters (Chenopodium album) - Host Plant

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

Hayhurst's Scallopwing (Staphylus hayhurstii) 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.