Atalopedes campestris
In 3 days ~10%
Atalopedes campestris (commonly known as the sachem or field skipper) is a small grass skipper butterfly. It has a wingspan of 35–41 mm (1+3⁄8–1+5⁄8 in). Male is orange, edged with brown, and has a large brown-black stigma. Female is darker with lighter markings in the center of the wing.
The sachem's wingspan is 35–41 mm (1+3⁄8–1+5⁄8 in). The sexes are dissimilar but both have elongated wings. The uppersides of the male forewing are orange bordered with brown and have a large four sided black stigma. The color of the uppersides of the female wings are dark brown with golden spots in the center but are highly variable, light to very dark. The uppersides of the female forewing have a black median spot and several semi-transparent spots. Females can always be identified by the square white transparent spot at the end of the forewing cell.
Underside of wings on both sexes are variable but the female hindwing is brown with light colored four-sided spots. The sachem is often mistaken for other skipper butterflies in the genus Hesperia. In 2022, the population in the eastern part of the continent was designated a separate species, A. huron, the huron sachem. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Field Skipper sighting in San Francisco on a given day, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 443rd most-seen of the 737 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Field Skipper in San Francisco on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Field Skipper sightings, San Francisco ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Sacramento (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Hesperiidae
The closest relatives of the Field Skipper that you can see in San Francisco (family Hesperiidae, Skippers) are Umber Skipper (about 20%), Fiery Skipper (about 20%) and Common Checkered-Skipper (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Field Skipper is recorded against all the insects logged in San Francisco (12 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.
