Eufala Skipper - Alabama Butterfly Atlas

Butterfly: Wingspan: ¾ - 1¼ inches (2.2 - 3.2 cm) UPPER SURFACE (dorsal) Gray brown. Forewing half circle of white dots resembles a bite mark. No stigma. UNDER SURFACE (ventral) Pale, cool brown, often with gray overscaling. Often a faint, crescent dot pattern on hindwing. Forewing with pale wrist bracelet.

Egg: Dome shaped. White; unmarked.

Caterpillar: Pale green with dark green stripe down back and light side stripes. Head white with brown rim; brown vertical stripe in middle of face, edged with broad brown, inverted V-shaped mark. Collar indistinct. First three pairs of legs (thoracic) pale.

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

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In a world of orange, tan, and warm brown skippers, Eufala's cool brown color sets it apart. Gray overscaling on its ventral wings gives it a pale, sometimes chalky appearance. Its whitish body adds to the effect. Open wings are darker, but a semicircle of white dots looks like a bite mark and helps would-be identifiers make the right call.

Eufalas rarely fly far above the ground. Males are low perchers and nectaring usually takes place from ground hugging flowers like frog fruit and heal-all. Larval hosts are often "weedy" grasses, and females deposit their shiny white eggs singly on or near host grass blades. Caterpillars live in rolled leaf shelters.

These are cosmopolitan skippers that have taken in large portions of the United States in a range that includes much of Central and South America. In Alabama, they are widespread and probably occur 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: Baldwin, Barbour, Bibb, Blount, Bullock, Calhoun, Chilton, Choctaw, Cleburne, Coffee, Covington, Cullman, Dallas, DeKalb, Escambia, Etowah, Hale, Houston, Jackson, Jefferson, Lamar, Lawrence, Lee, Madison, Marshall, Mobile, Monroe, Montgomery, Perry, Pickens, Pike, 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):

10 - Tuscaloosa - 9/14/2012
8 - Mobile - 8/12/2012
8 - Bibb - 9/28/2013

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						2		3	2			1			2	1	2	3	2	1	10	10	18	9	7	18	12	13	17	16	21	22	9	14	3	3	3	1	2		2			1

Open, grassy areas including fields, vacant lots, roadsides, edges of pinewoods, savannas, suburban lawns and gardens, and utility right-of-ways.

Reports from other states list 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).

The following host grasses have been documented in Alabama, although 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 Eufala Skippers. These include Butterfly Milkweed and other milkweeds, Purple Coneflower and other coneflowers, phloxes, mountain mints, Common Buttonbush, Joe Pye weeds, gayfeathers/blazing stars, Mistflower, ironweeds, and asters.

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.