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Carolina Roadside-Skipper (Amblyscirtes carolina [Skinner])
Wing span: 1 1/8 - 1 7/16 inches (2.9 - 3.7 cm).
Identification: Upperside is dark brown; forewing with small yellow spots. Underside of forewing is black with a dull yellow apex; hindwing is dull yellow with brown spots.
Life history: Males perch in the afternoons in sunny openings to wait for females.
Flight: Three broods from April-September.
Caterpillar hosts: Probably switch cane (Arundinaria tecta).
Adult food: Nectar from flowers of sweet pepperbush, swamp milkweed, cinquefoil, wild strawberry, blackberry, and ironweed.
Habitat: Near streams and swamps in wet woods.
Range: Southeast Virginia south to South Carolina; west to northern Mississippi. Isolated populations in Delaware, southern Illinois, and northwest Arkansas.
Conservation: Populations should be monitored as habitat is gradually being reduced by drainage and conversion to agriculture.
The Nature Conservancy Global Rank: G4 - Apparently secure globally, though it might be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management needs: None reported.
References:
Opler, P. A. and G. O. Krizek. 1984. Butterflies east of the Great Plains. Johns
Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. 294 pages, 54 color plates.
Opler, P. A. and V. Malikul. 1992. A field guide to eastern butterflies. Peterson
field guide #4. Houghton-Mifflin Co., Boston. 396 pages, 48 color plates.
Scott, J. A. 1986. The butterflies of North America. Stanford University Press,
Stanford, Calif. 583 pages, 64 color plates.
Author: Jane M. Struttmann
State and Regional References:
Harris, L., Jr. 1972 Butterflies of Georgia. Univ. of Oklahoma Press, Norman,
OK. 326 pp.
Opler, P.A. 1998. A field guide to eastern butterflies, revised format.
Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston.
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