Clouded Skipper - Alabama Butterfly Atlas

Butterfly: Wingspan: 1 - 1½ inches (2.5 - 3.8 cm) UPPER SURFACE (dorsal) Dark brown. Pale wrist bracelet near forewing tip. One or two pale spots mid-forewing. Prominent in females, inconspicuous in males. Stigma difficult to see. UNDER SURFACE (ventral) Brown with violet frosting on outer edges and mid-hindwing.

Egg: Dome shaped. White; unmarked.

Caterpillar: Greenish with white frosting. Dark stripe down back and two white side stripes. Head white with black margin; three vertical black stripes and short brown line on facial region. Collar black. First three pairs of legs (thoracic) pale.

Chrysalis: Varying shades of green. Sharp, whitish point on head.

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Clouded Skippers are penultimate habitat generalists, making them widespread and common. They nectar from a wide variety of flowers, and their caterpillars eat virtually any broad-bladed grass. They have even been found munching on Lemongrass, an intensely flavored culinary herb full of citronella and cyanogenic compounds. Caterpillar hunters are frequently disappointed to find that their prize specimen is "just another Clouded Skipper."

Clouded Skippers are early risers, often basking in the sun before the dew is dry. Males perch on low grasses to wait for potential mates. Females deposit single eggs on host grasses. Caterpillars initially make flap shelters along leaf edges. As they grow, the construct rolled shelters that dangle from the end of the blade. Pupation occurs in a silked leaf that has edges pulled together.

These handsome skippers are based in the southern U.S. and Central America. Each summer, their populations expand northward, but contract again with winter freezes. In Alabama, Clouded Skippers are multi-brooded and have been documented in every county.

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, Barbour, Bibb, Blount, Bullock, Butler, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Chilton, Choctaw, Clarke, Clay, Cleburne, Coffee, Colbert, Conecuh, Coosa, Covington, Crenshaw, Cullman, Dale, Dallas, DeKalb, Elmore, Escambia, Etowah, Fayette, Franklin, Geneva, Greene, Hale, Henry, Houston, Jackson, Jefferson, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Lee, Limestone, Lowndes, Macon, Madison, Marengo, Marion, Marshall, Mobile, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Perry, Pickens, Pike, Randolph, Russell, Shelby, St. Clair, Sumter, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker, Washington, Wilcox, Winston

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

High count(s):

75 - Franklin - 9/25/2016
47 - Lawrence - 9/22/2019
41 - Cleburne - 8/25/2021

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								23	18	42	63	59	84	60	45	25	7	17	30	61	67	76	69	152	104	150	104	306	290	306	317	789	502	316	243	209	69	37	2	4	1

Varied. Uplands and wetlands; open spaces near woodland edges, streams, and swampy wetlands; gardens and parks; agricultural fields; meadows; vacant lots; flatwoods; hammocks; easements and utility right-of-ways.

Clouded Skipper (*Lerema accius*)

County

© Sara Bright

Wetland with River Oats

Reports from other states list many, many broad-leaved grasses.

The following grasses have been documented in Alabama, but many other species are probably used:

Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus), a tropical culinary grass

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

Plant River Oats (Chasmanthium latifolium) to help bring Clouded Skippers into your landscape. It is an adaptable plant that can thrive in both sunny and shady gardens. Other native broad-leaved grasses can be highly effective, particularly in sunny areas.

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

Clouded Skipper (Lerema accius) 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.