The Dusted Skipper butterfly is a dark skipper with blackish-brown wing coloration. The undersides of the hindwing is “dusted” with tiny white specks. There is a white dot on the underside and near the base of the hindwing. Three white dots are near the tip of the forewing on the underside. A white line is present over the eye, which helps to distinguish it from the similar-looking Clouded Skipper.

 

“Dusted Skipper” by Troy Shively, licensed under (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

 

Dusted Skipper Facts

Butterfly Family: Skipper (Hesperiidae)

Butterfly Subfamily: Hesperiinae

Butterfly Wingspan: 1 1/4 – 1 11/16 inches

Butterfly Habitat: Grasslands, prairies, barrens, and old fields

 

Dusted Skipper Host and Nectar Plants

Host Plants:

• Little Bluestem Grass
• Big Bluestem Grass

Nectar Plants:

• Nectar from various flowers
  • Wild Strawberry
  • Wild Blackberry
  • Wild Hyacinth
  • Phlox
  • Vervain
  • Red Clover
  • White Clover
  • Lyreleaf Sage