Lon zabulon
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The Zabulon skipper (Lon zabulon) (sometimes called the southern dimorphic skipper) is a North American butterfly first described by the French naturalists Jean Baptiste Boisduval and John Eatton Le Conte from the state of Georgia, United States.
This small butterfly has slim, triangular wings. The upperside of the male's wings is mostly orange with the margins being dark brown. The underside of the male's wings is mainly yellow orange with the margins being dark brown. There is a yellow basal spot enclosed with brown. The upperside of the female's wings is dark brown with large, glassy spots near the forewing outer margin. The underside of the female's wings is a brownish-burgundy color with the hindwing having a white streak on the costal edge. The wing margins are broadly frosted. The wingspan measures 1+3⁄8 to 1+5⁄8 inches (35–41 mm).
The only similar species in the Zabulon skipper's range is the Hobomok skipper. The Hobomok skipper has a more northern range and different flight period than the Zabulon skipper. They also have more rounded wings. The upperside of the male Hobomok skipper's wings has thicker dark margins. The underside... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Congaree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Detroit | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Zabulon Skipper sighting in Philadelphia on a given day, based on 226 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 20th most-seen of the 632 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Zabulon Skipper in Philadelphia on a given day, against under 5% in September to April, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Zabulon Skipper sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 7
Of the 7 cities where we can rate Zabulon Skipper sightings, Philadelphia ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Washington (United States, about 20%), Boston (United States, about 20%) and Baltimore (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Hesperiidae
The closest relatives of the Zabulon Skipper that you can see in Philadelphia (family Hesperiidae, Skippers) are Silver-Spotted Skipper (about 20%), Peck's Skipper (about 10%) and Common Sootywing (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Zabulon Skipper is recorded against all the insects logged in Philadelphia (226 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.
