This week we’re back to the populous butterfly group, the skippers!
Which of the butterflies below is a Tawny-edged Skipper?
- Left
- Right
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Click below to reveal the answers to this weeks’ quiz!
The butterfly on the right is the Tawny-edged Skipper. The butterfly on the left is a Northern Broken-dash.
A brown forewing with orange on the upper edge (costa) and a brown to orange hindwing are characteristic of the Tawny-edged Skipper. Sometimes the underside hindwing may have a line of light colored spots in a post-median band. Their lookalike, the Crossline Skipper, is luckily far less common in Vermont. Males can be found in swales or grassy depressions near wet areas. In Vermont, they use the introduced Kentucky Bluegrass as a host plant and likely other Poa and Panicum grasses. They are primarily out from June to August.
The Northern Broken-dash is typically a dull brown but the underside may surprise you with a publish sheen. They have a wide pale band on the underside hindwing. The females are difficult to identify from other lookalikes like the common Dun Skippers and less common Little Glassywing. Males can be found perched high up (~6 ft) in open areas near forest edges. In Vermont, they use Deertongue Grass and other large panicum grasses as a host. They primarily fly in July and August.
Northern Broken-Dash by Erika Mitchell (iNaturalist)
Tawny-edged Skipper by Kate Taylor (iNaturalist)
Ready to celebrate spring with next weeks’ quiz? Click here!