Field Skipper (Atalopedes campestris) — the common name was formerly Sachem — is a small butterfly, with a wingspan of 1.25 to 1.625 inches. It can generally be seen from May to November in our part of the country, but it is a relatively rare sighting in our local area. Host plants include Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon), crabgrass (Digitaria), St. Augustine grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum), and goosegrass (Eleusine).
It is one of five grass skippers on the Garden’s species list. They all use grasses of some kind as host plants, and also share a similar orange-brown coloration. Another common characteristic of grass skippers is how the forewing and hindwing are laid out one above the other rather than side-by-side, like all other butterflies. When they spread their wings, the hindwing is fully open and parallel to the ground, with the forewing at a 45-degree angle to the hindwing. In many parts of the US, it can be challenging to identify grass skippers to species level, especially if the specimen is a little worn (for a perfect example, compare the upper sides of male and female Fiery Skipper with those of Field Skipper.)
Field Skipper is found in a thin strip along the west coast of the U.S., from Washington through California.
