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| White Checkered Skipper (Pyrgus albescens) - female on Red Buckwheat |
Butterflies are common visitors to native
plants. Natives provide two types of butterfly
food: nectar for the adult butterflies and larval food (usually foliage) for
the caterpillars. Larval foods can be quite
specific – sometimes limited to a handful of plant species from the butterfly’s
home range. So it’s not surprising that natives
attract more butterflies than plants not native to a region. For more tips on butterfly gardening see: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2012/06/butterfly-gardens.html
This year, we’re introducing a group
of smaller butterflies: the Skippers (Family Hesperiidae), common butterflies of local gardens. One species sometimes seen in Western Los
Angeles County is the White Checkered Skipper – Pyrgus albescens (pronounced PEER-gus al-BESS-sens). We’re spotting it more often this year,
perhaps due to the drought. You may also
have noticed this butterfly, in your garden or in the wilds, and wondered what
it was.
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| White Checkered Skipper (Pyrgus albescens) perches with wings onpen |
Like the Umber and Fiery Skippers discussed
in July and August (2016), the Checkered Whites belong to the family Hesperiidae (the
Skippers). But Checkered Whites are
placed in the subfamily Pyrginae -
Skippers that perch with wings outspread, rather than half-open. Pyrgus
species are further classified to the tribe Pyrgini,
which contains nearly 600 species in North and South America.
The genus Pyrgus, which contains about 50 species, can be found in Europe,
temperate Asia, and North, Central and South America. All look somewhat similar: small gray
butterflies, with square white blotches, and black-and-white checkered wing
fringes. [1] Pyrgus species can be difficult to tell apart,
particularly in areas where the ranges of several species overlap.
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| White Checkered Skipper (Pyrgus albescens) male on Yarrow (Achillea millefolia) |
The White Checkered Skipper is
sometimes included in the more common and widespread Pyrgus communis (the Common Checkered Skipper). In fact, there is still lively debate
regarding the taxonomy of this ‘species’. [2, 3] We’ve chosen to treat it as a separate
species, due to its range limits and minor physical (morphological)
differences. However, it’s still not
clear whether it is better regarded as a sub-species or variant of Pyrgus communis, an incipient species,
or a truly separate species. To learn
more, we recommend references 2 & 3, below.
The White Checkered Skipper is
native to the Southern U.S. (primarily Texas, the Southwest and California) and
Mexico. Its range appears to be
expanding, both eastward and north. [2] In Southern
California, it’s found at lower elevations, in drier, sunny places including
native prairies, low deserts, roadsides, fields and gardens. It is never common, but may be seen where ever
larval food plants (Malvaceae) are
available. Its range appears to be
limited by the Sierra Nevada and Transverse mountain ranges. [3]
White Checkered Skippers are small
butterflies, with a wingspan of 1 - 1 1/2 inches (2.5 - 3.8 cm). Their
coloration is similar to, but slightly paler than, the Common Checkered
Skipper. The thorax (mid-body) of the
males appears blue, due to conspicuous blue hairs. The female body, lacking the blue hairs,
appears dark gray to black. The abdomen
(hind-segment) is dark gray with white stripes.
Both sexes have large, square white
spots on the upperside of both sets of wings, forming irregular, blotchy stripes. The wing background color is gray or
gray-brown mixed with red-brown, the brown being more obvious near the wing
margins. The wing-fringes are checkered
black and white. This is particularly
obvious in the males, where the checkered squares reach to the edge of the wing
fringes.
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| White Checkered Skipper (Pyrgus albescens) - underside |
The underside of the wings is
overall a light gray, giving individuals a pale gray or gray-blue appearance in
flight. On closer inspection, the
underside has a series of irregular bands, composed of squares that are pale
gray, tan and dark brown-black. You
rarely see the underside, but it’s quite pretty. As always, photographs are a great help in
identifying butterflies and appreciating their intricate beauty.
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| White Checkered Skipper (Pyrgus albescens) has pale under-body |
The face, sides and underbody are
hairy and pale gray in color, as are the upper segments of the legs. The antennae are black and white striped, and
have the characteristic tip of the Skippers.
The proboscis (tongue) is dark (see above). For more good photos
(including those of the larvae), see:
- http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/lepidopt/hesper/checker.htm
- http://socalbutterflies.com/hesperiidae_html/white_checkered.htm
- http://www.kimandmikeontheroad.com/pyrgus_albescens.htm
- http://butterfliesofamerica.com/t/Pyrgus_albescens_a.htm
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| White Checkered Skipper (Pyrgus albescens) - male on Yarrow (Achillea millefolia), Sunflower family |
In our gardens, we see White
Checkered Skippers flying near host plants or feeding on a number of nectar
plants. The peak flight period is from
about February until October. Like most
skippers, Pyrgus albescens favors plants with
many small flowers. We see them most
commonly on plants in the Sunflower (Asteraceae) and Mint (Lamiaceae)
families, as well as the local native Buckwheats. These butterflies are easy to identify when nectaring.
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| Skippers like the White Checkered Skipper (Pyrgus albescens) will go to great lengths to get their favorite nectar |
We also see Pyrgus albescens perched on leaves and sometimes on
the ground. Males perch and cruise in places
with nectar and host plants, looking for food and receptive females. Males have
scent scales on the upperside of the forewing that release pheromones that
attract females. [4] The males are
quite territorial; we see them vigorously chase White Checkered and other
Skippers, particularly the Fiery Skipper.
White Checkered Skippers likely have
several broods a year in our area. The
eggs are pale green and are laid singly on leaves of host plants. [5] The
larvae (caterpillars) are pale blue-green with stripes. They construct simple ‘tents’ by folding over
a leaf and fastening it with strands of silk.
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| White Checkered Skipper (Pyrgus albescens) Female on Cheeseweed |
While the scope is not well-defined,
several genera of plants in the Mallow Family (Malvaceae) are known to serve as larval host plants. These include the true Mallows (Sida or Malvella species), the Globemallows
(Sphaeralcea), Velvet-leaf or Indian
Mallows (Abutilon), Poppy mallows (Callirhoe) and likely others. In our area, the common native host is most
likely Alkali Mallow (Malvella leprosa). We have seen individuals visiting the non-native Cheeseweed (Malva parviflora); we’ll
try to see if this species also serves as a host plant.
We are always glad to see this
pretty butterfly in our gardens. Look
for them in your own garden, particularly if you grow the host plants. We think you’ll enjoy watching these and
other Skippers. Their behavior is more
interesting than you might think!
To learn more about Umber Skippers: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2016/07/umber-skipper-butterfly-poanes-melane.html
To learn more about Fiery Skippers: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2016/08/fiery-skipper-butterfly-hylephila.html
Like this
posting? See our other insect posts at: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2016/07/insect-postings-mother-natures-backyard.html
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| White Checkered Skipper (Pyrgus albescens) |
________________
- http://www.learnaboutbutterflies.com/North%20America%20-%20Pyrgus%20albescens.htm
- http://images.peabody.yale.edu/lepsoc/jls/2000s/2000/2000-54(2)52-Burns.pdf
- http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1603/0013-8746%282008%29101%5B794%3APOGVBT%5D2.0.CO%3B2?journalCode=esaa
- http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Pyrgus-albescens
- http://www.learnaboutbutterflies.com/North%20America%20-%20Pyrgus%20albescens.htm
We encourage your comments below.
If you have questions about Skipper butterflies or other gardening
topics you can e-mail us at : mothernaturesbackyard10@gmail.com
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