Euphyes pilatka
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Euphyes pilatka, the Palatka skipper or saw-grass skipper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found in the United States from southeastern Virginia south to peninsular Florida and the Florida Keys, then west along the Gulf Coast to southern Mississippi. Strays can be found up to northern Maryland and southwestern Louisiana.
The wingspan is 45–54 mm. The larvae feed on the leaves of Cladium jamaicensis. They live in shelters of rolled leaves. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Palatka Skipper sighting in Everglades National Park on a given day, based on 53 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 92nd most-seen of the 496 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February and March
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Palatka Skipper in Everglades National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April and September–November, the lowest months. Those are among Everglades National Park's driest months, with about 45 mm of rain a month against 240 mm in June.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Palatka 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.
Among the best
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Palatka Skipper sightings, Everglades National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (United States, about 10%) and Big Cypress National Preserve (United States, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Palatka Skipper is recorded against all the insects logged in Everglades National Park (53 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
