Alabama Butterfly Atlas

Butterfly:  Wingspan: 1 - 1½ inches (2.5-3.5 cm) UPPER SURFACE (dorsal) Male is tawny orange with wide dark borders. Prominent wide black stigma. HIndwing with dark veins. Female dark with orange forewing edge; two glassy (hyaline) spots near center and smaller spots near tip. UNDER SURFACE (ventral) Yellow bown with faint hindwing chevron pattern that frames a yellow brown spot in middle of hindwing bottom edge. Female muddier and more olive. Chevron pattern more pronounced. Extremely variable.

Egg:  Partial sphere. White with very light gray mottling.

Caterpillar: Greenish brown with pale heart line. Head black; final instar has two short pale lines on upper face. Collar black with thin white ring. First pair of legs (thoracic) darker than next two pairs. Partially grown caterpillars overwinter.  

Chrysalis: Brown. Abdomen lighter and covered with black dots. 

Sachems are almost always found in habitats impacted by humans. Typical host plants are weedy yard grasses and most-visited nectar sources include flower garden favorites.  Sachems are common and widespread, but unfortunately, one of the most difficul species for beginning (and sometime veteran) butterfliers to identify. There is no easy, single field mark to fall back on, and the fact that Sachems are extremely variable adds to the complications.  They resemble two other common garden butterflies, Whirlabout and Fiery Skipper, in size, color, and behavior. For specific information about how to identify Sachems, click the "Get Identification Help" link above.

Sachems are quick, highly active butterflies that are often encountered at flowers.  Males perch low to the ground to wait for potential mates.  Females raidly deposit single eggs in grass clumps.  Caterpillars initally live in folded blades, but eventually devise vertical shelters at the base of the grass.  As caterpillars molt and grow larger, they develop red spots near they base of their heads that appear to be eyes, possibly firghtening predators away.  Large amounts of frass (excretions) build up at the bottom of their vertical shelters, which may also help to deter predators.  

In 2023, Sachems were separated into two species*. The Western species retained the name of Atalopedes campestris but is commonly called Casachem; the Eastern was renamed Atalopedes huron but retained the common name "Sachem."  These eastern Sachems are not cold tolerant, so each year populations fall back to southern states. However, by summer's end, they have expanded throughout the eastern U.S. In Alabama, Sachems probably occur in every county.

 

*According to A Catalogue of the Butterflies of the United States and Canada (2023) by Jonathan P. Pelham, which the Alabama Butterfly Atlas follows.

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: Autauga, Baldwin, Bibb, Blount, Calhoun, Chilton, Cleburne, Coffee, Colbert, Coosa, Dallas, DeKalb, Escambia, Etowah, Franklin, Hale, Jackson, Jefferson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Lee, Limestone, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Mobile, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Perry, Pickens, Randolph, Shelby, St. Clair, Sumter, Washington, Wilcox

  • Map Symbol for Recent Sightings Sightings in the past 5 years
  • Map Symbol for Semi-Recent Sightings Sightings in the past 5 - 10 years
  • Map Symbol for Old Sightings Sightings more than 10 years ago

High count(s):

  • 26 - DeKalb - 8/29/2011
  • 24 - DeKalb - 8/18/2020
  • 24 - DeKalb - 8/23/2021
County Distribution Map

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 4 29 4 23 8 5 38 38 71 48 37 72 64 74 87 115 38 34 53 85 32 15 14 19 10

Habitat

A wide-variety of open, sunny habitats including fields, parks, pastures, roadsides, utility right-of-ways, and railroad corridors.  It is common in suburban gardens and lawns.

Sachem
Sachem (Atalopedes huron)
County
© Sara Bright
Wet meadow
Sachem
Sachem (Atalopedes huron)
County
© Paulette Ogard
Dry meadow
Sachem
Sachem (Atalopedes huron)
County
© Paulette Ogard
Utility right-of-way
Sachem
Sachem (Atalopedes huron)
County
© Sara Bright
Pasture
Sachem
Sachem (Atalopedes huron)
County
© Sara Bright
Suburban garden
Sachem
Sachem (Atalopedes huron)
County
© Sara Bright
Wet meadow
Sachem
Sachem (Atalopedes huron)
County
© Sara Bright
Forest opening

Host and Nectar Plants

In nearby states, the Sachem's host plants include Bermuda Grass (Cynodon dactylon), crabgrasses (Digitaria spp.), and St. Augustine Grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum).

In Alabama,the host plant has not yet been documented.

 

Landscaping Ideas

The Sachem is one of the commonest skippers seen nectaring in Alabama gardens. Provide a variety of garden worthy, nectar-rich flowers to attract butterflies like Sachems. 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 Sachems.