The Common Checkered Skipper is so closely related to the White Checkered Skipper that the two cannot be reliably distinguished in the field. Its bold white and black checkered pattern makes it easy to recognize, though not easy to tell apart from its lookalike.

Males typically have larger white spots than females and may show bluish hairs near the body, but the overall wing patterns are nearly identical. The underside of the wings features a checkered pattern of white and brown.

 

“Common Checkered-Skipper” by Kenneth Cole Schneider, licensed under (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

 

Common Checkered-Skipper Facts

Butterfly Family: Skipper (Hesperiidae)

Butterfly Subfamily: Pyrginae

Butterfly Wingspan: 1 – 1 1/2 inches

Butterfly Habitat: Open, sunny places with low vegetation and some bare soil including prairies, meadows, fields, roadsides, landfills, yards, gardens, pastures, openings, and trails in woods

 

🪴 Host Plants

These are the plants where females lay eggs and caterpillars feed:

• Crested Anoda (Anoda cristata)

• Fanpetals (Sida spp.)

• Globemallows (Sphaeralcea spp.)

• High Mallow (Malva sylvestris)

• Hollyhock (Alcea rosea)

• Poppy Mallows (Callirhoe spp.)

• Prickly Mallow (Modiola caroliniana)

• Velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti)

 

🌸 Nectar Plants

Adult Common Checkered-Skippers feed on nectar from the following native flowers:

• Asters (Symphyotrichum spp.)

• Beebalm (Monarda fistulosa)

• Beggar’s Tick (Bidens spp.)

• Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)

• Blazing Star (Liatris spp.)

• Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)

• Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa)

• Fleabane (Erigeron spp.)

• Ironweed (Vernonia spp.)

• Joe-Pye Weed (Eutrochium spp.)

• Mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum)

• Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum spp.)

• Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)

• Shepherd’s Needle (Scandix pecten-veneris)

• Thistles (Cirsium spp.)

• Vervain (Verbena spp.)

• Wingstem (Verbesina alternifolia)

• Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)