Epargyreus clarus
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Epargyreus clarus, the silver-spotted skipper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is claimed to be the most recognized skipper in North America. E. clarus occurs in fields, gardens, and at forest edges and ranges from southern Canada throughout most of the United States to northern Mexico, but is absent in the Great Basin and western Texas.
E. clarus larvae create and reside in unique shelters stuck together with silk, which do not protect them from predators. Natural predators of the species include paper wasp foragers, sphecid wasp and Crematogaster opuntiae ants. The species is also considered to be a perching species, meaning that adult males compete for territory to attract females. Although E. clarus is considered to be a pest of a few crop plants such as beans, its pest activity is not serious enough to warrant initiating major control measures.
Epargyreus clarus has a wide distribution throughout North America: it ranges from southern Canada throughout most of the United States to northern Mexico, but is absent from the Great Basin and western Texas. The silver-spotted skipper prefers open ranges where nectar plants are found,... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Congaree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Grand Canyon National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Detroit | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 9 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Silver-Spotted Skipper sighting in Chicago on a given day, based on 351 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 45th most-seen of the 978 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Silver-Spotted Skipper in Chicago on a given day, against under 5% in October to May, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Silver-Spotted Skipper sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
9th of 15
Of the 15 cities where we can rate Silver-Spotted Skipper sightings, Chicago ranks 9th at about 10%. The best odds are in Washington (United States, about 20%), Baltimore (United States, about 20%) and Philadelphia (United States, about 20%).
Same family: Hesperiidae
The closest relatives of the Silver-Spotted Skipper that you can see in Chicago (family Hesperiidae, Skippers) are Fiery Skipper (about 10%), Peck's Skipper (about 10%) and Zabulon Skipper (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Silver-Spotted Skipper is recorded against all the insects logged in Chicago (351 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
