The Zabulon Skipper butterfly has a thick, hairy body and hooked antennae, appearing to some more like a moth.  Males have black borders and no stigma, with the underside of their hindwings mostly yellow with a dark brown wingbase and outer margin. The upperside of females are purple-brown with pale yellow spots, with hindwing undersides that are brown and purple-gray with a white-edged costal margin.

 

Male

“Zabulon Skipper” by Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, licensed under (CC BY 2.0)

 

Female

“Zabulon Skipper” by Anita Gould, licensed under (CC BY-NC 2.0)

 

 

Zabulon Skipper Facts

Butterfly Family: Skipper (Hesperiidae)

Butterfly Subfamily: Hesperiinae

Butterfly Wingspan: 1 3/8 – 1 5/8 inches

Butterfly Habitat: Brushy openings near moist forests and streams

 

Zabulon Skipper Host and Nectar Plants

Host Plants:

• Purpletop Tridens Grass
• Wheatgrass
• Lovegrass
• Bentgrass
• Orchardgrass
• Blue Grass

Nectar Plants:

• Nectar from various flowers
  • Red Clover
  • Purple Vetch
  • Common Milkweed
  • Buttonbush
  • Joe-Pye Weed
  • Thistles
  • Blackberry
  • Everlasting Pea
  • Blackberry
  • Fleabane
  • Bee Balm
  • Purple Coneflower
  • Blazing Star
  • Garden Pansy
  • Wild Petunia
  • Verbena
  • Lobelia