Atalopedes campestris

Description

Atalopedes campestris (called sachem in the United States and Canada) is a small grass skipper butterfly. It has a wingspan of 35–41 mm (1+3⁄8–1+5⁄8 in). Male is orange, edged with brown, and has a large brown-black stigma. Female is darker with lighter markings in the center of the wing. The sachem's wingspan is 35–41 mm (1+3⁄8–1+5⁄8 in). The sexes are dissimilar but both have elongated wings. The uppersides of the male forewing are orange bordered with brown and have a large four sided black stigma. The color of the uppersides of the female wings are dark brown with golden spots in the center but are highly variable, light to very dark. The uppersides of the female forewing have a black median spot and several semi-transparent spots. Females can always be identified by the square white transparent spot at the end of the forewing cell. Underside of wings on both sexes are variable but the female hindwing is brown with light colored four-sided spots. The sachem is often mistaken for other skipper butterflies in the genus Hesperia. This skipper is common in the southern United States ranging south through Mexico and Central America to Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Brazil. During the warmer North American months, it can be found in northern parts of North America up to Montana, Washington, and New York excluding most of the Rocky Mountains. One was sighted and photographed in southern Manitoba, Canada, on July 11, 2015. Strays have been reported in British Columbia, Canada, three times, once each in 1937, 1953, and 1960. Atalopedes campestris can be found in open, disturbed areas such as roadsides, lawns, pastures, parks, oil fields, and landfills. It had been observed that the sachem expanded its range northward rapidly during the beginning of the 21st century. A study by Crozier shows that this expansion is due to the winter warming trend of climate change rather than evolution of cold tolerance for this species. Eggs are greenish-white and are laid singly on or near the host plant leaves. The height of the egg is 0.9–1.0 mm (1⁄32–3⁄64 in). The width of the egg is 0.6–0.7 mm (1⁄48–1⁄32 in). The egg has polygonal sculpturing on its surface.