southern cloudywing | skymeadows

southern cloudywing (Thorybes bathyllus)

CONFIRMATION STATUS: Confirmed.

FAMILY: Skippers (Hesperiidae)
SUBFAMILY: Spread-wing Skippers (Pyrginae)

IDENTIFICATION: Hindwing is elongated. Upperside is dark brown;
forewing has a wide band composed of aligned transparent spots.
Male lacks a costal fold.

LIFE HISTORY: To seek females, males perch on vegetation 1.5 to 4.5
feet above ground, usually on hilltops or knolls. Some males appear
to use the same perch throughout their lives (which lasts no more
than 2 weeks). Females lay eggs singly on the underside of a host
plant leaflet. Caterpillars feed on leaves and live in shelters of rolled
or tied leaves. Fully-grown caterpillars hibernate.

FLIGHT: One brood from mid-June to mid-July in the north; two broods
(possibly three) from June-early October in most of its range.

WING SPAN: 1 5/16 - 1 7/8 inches (3.3 - 5 cm).

CATERPILLAR HOSTS: Various plants in the pea family (Fabaceae)
including beggar's ticks (Desmodium), bush clover (Lespedeza),
clover (Trifolium), milkvetch (Astragalus), fuzzybean (Strophostyles),
and wild bean (Glycine).

ADULT FOOD: Usually nectar from blue, purple, pink, or white flowers
including dogbane, selfheal, crown vetch, Japanese honeysuckle, thistles,
common milkweed, and others.

HABITAT: Open, scrubby places including dry meadows, burned areas,
dry prairie hills, powerline right-of-ways, and others.

RANGE: Most of the eastern United States from southern Maine west
across the Great Lake States to Minnesota, Nebraska, southeastern
Colorado, and northern New Mexico; south to central Florida, the Gulf
Coast, and Texas.

CONSERVATION: Not usually required.

NATURESERVE GLOBAL STATUS: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally,
though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the
periphery.

MANAGEMENT NEEDS: None reported.

SKY MEADOWS OCCURRENCE:

Note: Due to seasonal conditions in this region, occurrence may vary from

year to year. The designation of occurrence may range over two or more

categories and may vary even during a single season.

Key to Checklist

A   Abundant: Easy to see very large numbers of individuals in appropriate habitat
      at proper time of year.
C   Common: Usually each to see good numbers of individuals in appropriate habitat
      at proper time of year.
U   Uncommon: Sometimes found in appropriate habitat and proper time of year,
      usually in low numbers.
O   Occasional: Found in appropriate habitat perhaps only a few times a year, usually
      in low numbers.
R   Rare: Small chance of being found, even in appropriate habitat at proper time of
      year. There are few individuals and may not be present every year.
X   Extirpated: Formerly present, no longer occurs in Sky Meadows Park.