Epargyreus clarus, silver spotted skipper, and the tallgrass prairie plants they were found foraging on at Barnes Prairie remnants, Racine Co., WI from 2020 through 2022

Eparygyrus clarus, silver spotted skipper, is a commonly found on Barnes Prairie, which consists of a number of small tallgrass prairie remnants. According to my observations over the past 50 years, silver spotted skippers have been one of the most abundant butterflies on these remnants. In the last 20 years, as many of these prairie areas have been developed to housing and commercial businesses, the skippers have found new nectar sources on purple clover, Trifolium pratense, queen Ann’s lace, Daucus carota,and teasel, Dipsacus fullonum (D. sylvestrus) flowers.

The following is a summary of forage plants that silver spotted skippers were seen on, by month and year, from 2020 through 2022.

Date Forage plants

August 8, 2020, wild bergamot
August 10, 2020, teasel, purple coneflower
August 13, 2020, false sunflower, rough blazing star, sneezeweed, goldenrod sp.
August 19, 2020, rough blazing star
September 22, 2020, goldenrod sp.

August 2, 2021, mountain mint, wild bergamot, queen Ann’s lace, black-eyed Susan
August 11, 2021, purple coneflower

June 16, 2022, purple clover
July 10, 2022, purple clover
July 30, 2022, wild bergamot
August 3, 2022, wild bergamot

Posted on February 12, 2023 02:29 AM by bkis