Silver-Spotted Skipper

Silver-Spotted Skipper

Epargyreus clarus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Point Pelee National Park

In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%

37 Verified sightings at Point Pelee National Park From 2019 to 2026
1,284 In all 9 parks
June Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Silver-Spotted Skipper

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 →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~40%
2 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~40%
3 Congaree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
4 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~20%
5 Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
6 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
7 Grand Canyon National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
8 Yosemite National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
9 Cumbres de Monterrey National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Washington 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
2 Baltimore 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
3 Philadelphia 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
4 Toronto 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
5 New York City 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
6 Detroit 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
7 Boston 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
8 Montreal 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
9 Chicago 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
10 Minneapolis [Saint Paul] 🇺🇸 United States
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Silver-Spotted Skipper in Point Pelee National Park?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Silver-Spotted Skipper sighting in Point Pelee National Park on a given day, based on 37 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 24th most-seen of the 196 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.

When is the best time to see a Silver-Spotted Skipper in Point Pelee National Park?

June

In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Silver-Spotted Skipper in Point Pelee National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October to April, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Silver-Spotted Skipper?

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.

Which relatives of the Silver-Spotted Skipper live in Point Pelee National Park?

Same family: Hesperiidae

The closest relatives of the Silver-Spotted Skipper that you can see in Point Pelee National Park (family Hesperiidae, Skippers) are Fiery Skipper (about 20%), Least Skipper (about 10%) and Common Checkered-Skipper (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Silver-Spotted Skipper sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Silver-Spotted Skipper is recorded against all the insects logged in Point Pelee National Park (37 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.

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