Poanes zabulon

The Zabulon Skipper (Poanes zabulon) is a North American butterfly.  It is sometimes called the Southern Dimorphic Skipper.James A. Scott (1986).  The Butterflies of North America.  Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA.  

Description
This small butterfly triangle-shaped wings.  The upper side of the male's wings is mostly orange.  The edges of the wings are dark brown.  The underside of the male's wings is mainly yellow-orange.  The edges of the wings are dark brown.Rick Cech and Guy Tudor (2005).  Butterflies of the East Coast.  Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ.    On the hind wing (the bottom wing) there is a brown basal (basal means near where the wings connect to the body) patch with a yellow spot in it.Jim P. Brock and Kenn Kaufman (2003).  Butterflies of North America.  Houghton Mifflin, New York, NY.    The upper side of the female's wings is dark brown.  There are large, glassy spots near the edge of the fore wing (the top wing).  The underside of the female's wings is a brownish-purplish color.  The hind wing has a white streak on the top edge.  The wingspan is 1⅜ to 1⅝ inches.

Similar species
The only similar species in the Zabulon Skipper's range is the Hobomok Skipper (Poanes hobomok).

The Hobomok Skipper has a more northern range.  It has a different flight period.  They also have more rounded wings.  The upper side of the male Hobomok Skipper's wings has thicker dark brown edges.  The underside of the male's hind wing does not have the yellow spot in the brown basal patch.  While the female Zabulon Skipper has one form, the female Hobomok Skipper has two forms.  There is the normal form and the pocahontas form.  The upper side of the pocahontas form has smaller glassy spots.

Distribution
It ranges from Wisconsin east to the East Coast, south to Georgia, Texas, and Panama.

Habitat
The Zabulon Skipper can be found in a variety of habitats such as woodland edges, woodland openings, near roads, and near streams.  It can adapt to other habitats including suburban areas, parks, and gardens.

Flight period
This butterfly can be seen from March to April and again in August to October in the southern part of its range.  In the northern part of its range, it is seen from May to July and again in August to September.

Life cycle
Courtship takes place in the afternoon.  However, it will sometimes happen as early as 8:20 A.M.  Females lay their eggs singly on the underside of host plant leaves.  The caterpillar is either brown or green.  It sometimes has a pinkish hue.  It is often impossible to tell the difference between closely related caterpillars.Allen J. Thomas, Jim P. Brock, and Jeffrey Glassberg (2005).  Caterpillars in the Field and Garden.  Oxford University Press, New York, NY.    The chrysalis is often formed inside a leaf shelter.  It is brown.  The abdomen is a lighter brown with small black dots.  The hibernating stage is unknown.  The Zabulon Skipper has 2 broods per year.

Host plants
Here is a list of host plants that the Zabulon Skipper caterpillar feed on:

 Agrostis sp.
 Dactylis sp.
 Elytrigia sp.
 Eragrostis sp.
 Leymus sp.
 Poa sp.
 Puccinellia sp.
 Tridens sp.

References

Other websites
Zabulon Skipper diagnostic photographs
USGS:Butterflies of North America
Zabulon Skipper, Butterflies of North Carolina 

Category:Hesperiidae