Euphyes pilatka
In 3 days ~40% 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 Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 48 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 26th most-seen of the 189 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Palatka Skipper in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, against under 5% in May–August and November–February, the lowest months. That is one of Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge's driest months, with about 50 mm of rain against 210 mm in September.
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.
Yes
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Palatka Skipper sightings, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Big Cypress National Preserve (United States, about 10%) and Everglades National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Hesperiidae
The closest relatives of the Palatka Skipper that you can see in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (family Hesperiidae, Skippers) are Salt Marsh Skipper (about 30%), Long-Tailed Skipper (about 20%) and Whirlabout (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Palatka Skipper is recorded against all the insects logged in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (48 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.
