Delaware Skipper

Fascinating facts about the Delaware Skipper

• The Delaware skipper's wing undersides are a plain yellow-orange, lacking any spots or markings except for a thin dark line that traces the forewing edge. This uniform colour matches the bright yellow-orange of the upper wings, which are edged with black borders and crossed by dark brown veins. The black borders are especially wide on the front and rear edges of the hindwing, giving the butterfly a striking outline.
• In the southern part of its range the Delaware skipper can be seen flying almost year-round, with several generations emerging from February through October. Further north, cooler springs and shorter summers limit the species to a single brood that appears in the summer months. This seasonal difference reflects the butterfly's ability to produce multiple broods when temperatures stay warm long enough.
• The Delaware skipper thrives in moist habitats such as natural marshes and cultivated lawns and gardens of suburban neighbourhoods. The caterpillars feed on grasses like big bluestem and switchgrass that grow abundantly in these areas.
• Adult Delaware skippers sip nectar from pink and white flowering plants, favouring milkweeds, mountain mints and thistles. These colour-rich blooms supply the sugary fluid the butterflies need for energy. They feed throughout their long activity period, which can stretch from February to October in warm regions and includes a summer brood in the north. Their choice of flowers ties directly to the habitats where they are most often seen.
• The Delaware skipper measures a wingspan of 2.5 to 4.3 centimetres. It belongs to the subfamily Hesperiinae, known as the grass skippers.

Sources

Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.

• Wikipedia

At a glance

About the Delaware Skipper

In the warm, golden light of a summer meadow, the Delaware Skipper dances on delicate wings, its orange and brown hues blending seamlessly with the wildflowers it sips from, as it flits and flutters with an air of joyful abandon. With a nimble, erratic flight, it darts between the tall grasses, its tiny form weaving in and out of the vegetation with a speed and agility that belies its fragile appearance. As it alights upon a bloom, its proboscis uncoils, and it drinks in the sweetness, a fleeting, sun-kissed moment of beauty in a world of constant motion.

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