Hayhurst's Scallopwing - Alabama Butterfly Atlas

Hayhurst's Scallopwing (Staphylus hayhurstii)

Butterfly: Wingspan: 1 - 1¼ inches (2.5 - 3.2 cm). UPPER SURFACE (dorsal): dark blackish brown with two darker bands and tiny gold flecks. Forewing has a few small white spots. Hindwing is scalloped. Males have a costal fold. UNDER SURFACE (ventral): Marked like above but paler. Males darker than females.

Egg: Pale coral/pink. Turban-shaped with deep, intricate ridges that form a flower-like shape when seen from above. Laid singly on underside of host leaves.

Caterpillar: Green with numerous tiny white or yellow dots covering body. Thin, broken white lines extend along lower sides. Collar pale brown. Dark head covered with tiny hairs; lacks markings. Collar pale brown. Front three pairs of legs (thorax) are pale brown. Partiallly grown caterpillars over-winter.

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

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Hayhurst’s Scallopwing is the easiest to identify of Alabama’s spread-wing skippers--its scalloped hindwing edges are distinctive and unique. Unfortunately, it is rarely encountered, sometimes without one documented record during the year. The reason is a mystery. It is colonial, and its weedy host plants are common, but for some reason the butterfly is not.

Hayhurst's Scallopwing was once known as "Southern Sootywing," but its resemblance to Common Sootywing is only superficial. The two are not closely related, with Hayhurst's Scallopwing's closest relatives occuring in the tropics.

These small, dark skippers perch, rest, and nectar with their wings fully spread. Males perch on sunlit leaves on low vegetation near the edges of shaded woods to search for for females. Although native host plants are sometimes chosen, females most often place eggs on Lamb's Quarters, a plant introduced from Europe. Young caterpillars construct a shelter by folding leaves, tying them together, and lining them with silk. Caterpillars remain within their retreat during the daytime but come out at night to feed on host plant leaves. Partly grown caterpillars overwinter in a leaf shelter. Pupation occurs within the shelter in the spring.

Hayhurst's Scallopwings occur thoughout much of the eastern and central United States. In Alabama, they are only known from the top third of the state, but the range of this easily overlooked butterfly probably extends throughout.

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: Blount, 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):

5 - Jefferson - 8/7/2024
5 - Jefferson - 7/26/2024
2 - Jackson - 7/14/2017

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								1	1	2	2	1	7	5	1	3

Disturbed areas where Lamb's Quarters grow. Often in moist shady arreas along streams but may also be encountered in nearby woods open woods, roadsides, and gardens.

Hayhurst's Scallopwing (*Staphylus hayhurstii*)

County

© Sara Bright

Lamb's Quarters

In addition to Lamb's Quarters, in nearby states, there are reports of other intrduced members of the pigweed family (Amaranthaceae). Alligator Weed (Alternanthera philoxeroides) is a native host.

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.

Lamb's Quarters are edible, highly nutritious greens that are sometimes called "wild spinach." They can be added to herb or vegetable gardens, but be advised that some gardeners find them invasive. Seeds are available from many online seed companies.

Hayhurst's Scallopwing (Staphylus hayhurstii) Photos

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