Eufala Skipper - Alabama Butterfly Atlas

Butterfly: Wingspan: ¾ - 1¼ inches (2.2 - 3.2 cm). The underside of the wings is grayish-brown. The forewing has three to five squarish, translucent-whitish spots in the subapical area. This distinguishes this skipper from the similar Swarthy Skipper which lacks such spots. The hindwing is plain gray brown except in some individuals which have very obscure, faint pale spots forming a sideways “U”. The upperside of the wings is similarly colored as the underside.

Egg: Pale green. Laid singly on or near host plants.

Caterpillar: Pale green with dark green mid-dorsal stripe and light lateral stripes. Head white, with brown rim; brown vertical stripe in middle of face, edged with broad brown, inverted V-shaped mark.

Chrysalis: Elongate and slim. Light green with dark green mid-dorsal line. Green and yellow stripes along body. Horn on head.

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Males may be observed as they perch on low grasses awaiting receptive females. They have a rapid, erratic flight but stop on a regular basis where they may be easily approached and photographed.

The Eufala Skipper is a resident species in the southern U. S. and extends far southward into Mexico, Central America, and into South America to Patagonia. It is native to coastal Georgia and Florida and west along the southern states to southern California. During favorable years, it extends its summer range northward in the U. S. to Washington, D.C, Michigan, southern Wisconsin, North Dakota and central California.

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, Barbour, Bibb, Blount, Bullock, Calhoun, Choctaw, Cleburne, Cullman, Dallas, DeKalb, Etowah, Houston, Jackson, Jefferson, Lamar, Lawrence, Lee, Madison, Marshall, Mobile, Monroe, Montgomery, Perry, Pickens, Randolph, Shelby, St. Clair, Tuscaloosa

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

High count(s):

8 - Mobile - 8/12/2012
8 - Bibb - 9/28/2013
8 - Baldwin - 7/19/2021

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
			4								3	1			1			2	1	2	3	2		7	10	12	6	5	16	11	8	12	10	20	21	7	13	2	2		1			2			1

The Eufala Skipper is found in open, grassy areas including fields, vacant lots, roadsides, edges of pinewoods, suburban lawns and gardens, and utility right-of-ways.

Elsewhere, the larvae are reported to eat the leaves of lawn grasses such as Bermuda Grass (Cynodon dactylon), and St. Augustine grass (Stenatophrum secundatum); weedy grasses such as Johnson grass ; and Sugar Cane (Saccharum officinarum), Cultivated Rice (Oryza sativa) and Broom Corn/Grain Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor).

Johnson Grass (Sorghum halepense) and Vasey's Grass (Paspalum urvillei) have been documented in Alabama. Other grasses may also be used.

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

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

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 Eufala Skippers.

Eufala Skipper (Lerodea eufala) 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.