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Silver-spotted Skipper
Butterfly.--This very common and beautiful insect may easily be recognized from the figure in the plate. The broad, irregular silvery spot on the under side of the hind wings distinguishes it at a glance from all other related species in our fauna. Expanse, 1.75-2.00 inches.
Early Stages.--These have been accurately described by several authors, and a very full account of them is contained in "The Butterflies of New England." The caterpillar feeds upon leguminous plants, and is especially common upon the Wistaria, which is grown about verandas, and on the common locust (Robinia pseudacacia). The caterpillar makes a nest for itself in the same manner as Eudamus proieus. Pupation generally takes place among fallen leaves or rubbish at the foot of the trees upon which the caterpillar has fed.
This butterfly has a wide range, extending to the Gulf, south of a line passing from Quebec to Vancouver, and ranging still farther south as far as the Isthmus of Panama. It is single-brooded in the North, and double-or triple-brooded in the South.