Dusted Skipper - Alabama Butterfly Atlas

Butterfly: Wingspan: 1¼ - 1½ inches (3.2 - 3.9 cm). A dark skipper with blackish-brown wing coloration.The undersides of the hindwing is "dusted" with tiny white specks. There is a white dot on the underside and near the base of the hindwing. Three white dots are near the tip of the forewing on the underside. A white line is present over the eye, which helps to distinguish it from the similiar-looking Clouded Skipper

Egg: Hemispherical. When initially deposited, pale yellow. Turns peachy. Laid singly on host grass blades.

Caterpillar: Pink/purpleish brown. Lighter pink ndar head and tail. Head dark reddish brown. Long cream-colored hairs cover body. Overwintering stage.

Chrysalis: Brown. WIng cases lighter brown. Abdomen light orange with pink tinge.

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Dusted Skippers are almost always found in localized colonies that are near patches of their host grass. Sightings are usually scarce, and according to NatureServe, many colonies probably produce only a few dozen adults per year. Most populations depend on human management to maintain the necessary open, grassy habitat they require. Periodic controlled burns are essential in some areas, but the use of airports and power-line cuts are also reported. Small populations are particularly at risk of disappearing due to habitat loss.

Male Dusted Skippers perch on or close to the ground. Females fly low through grasses and deposit their eggs on host grass leaves and stems. These lifestyle traits are one of the reasons that open, grassy areas that often include bare ground or rock are essential. Dusted Skippers are seldom found where grassy groundcovers are thick.

The Dusted Skipper is distributed from Florida north to central New England, west to southeastern Saaskatchewan and south to northern New Mexico, and east to Georgia. The eastern and western populations probably represent different subspecies. This skipper is largely absent from the coastal plain of the southeastern states.

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, Calhoun, Cleburne

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

High count(s):

9 - Cleburne - 5/4/2018
9 - Cleburne - 5/9/2018
8 - Cleburne - 5/10/2020

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	1	24	34	11	1	1			2			1					1

Old fields, airports, woodland clearings, and power-line cuts that are dominated by native grasses are commonly utilized in the eastern U.S. One key habitat feature is a dominance of the host grass, generally with intermixed patches of bare sand or rock.

Habitats include disturbed areas, especially burned-over areas. Most of the more natural habitats are subject to fire. If the species persists in that general area, the immatures (usually caterpillars) must either survive the burn or adults must be good colonists. The Cleburne County sightings were in an area of the Talladega National Forest that is subject to periodic controlled burns.

Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparius) has been documented as a host plant in Alabama. In the eastern United States, host plants are typically Little Bluestem and Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardi).

Dusted Skippers nectar from a variety of flowers.

LIttle Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) - Host Plant

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

Dusted Skipper (Atrytonopsis hianna) Photos

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Photos with comments are indicated by a small, tan dot on the bottom right.