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Skipper butterflies
Skipper butterflies
Hesperiidae (family-level entry)
Butterfly
Family of small fast-flying butterflies whose larvae feed almost exclusively on grasses. Little bluestem and switchgrass are among the native warm-season grasses that host multiple skipper species; planting these grasses is the single most effective way to support skipper populations.
Plants in the catalog
Larval host plants · 13
Adam's needle
Yucca filamentosa
Specialist
Yucca specialist host — the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center documents Yucca filamentosa as a larval host for the Yucca Giant-Skipper (Megathymus yuccae) and Cofaqui Giant-Skipper (Megathymus cofaqui), whose larvae bore into the plant.
Big bluestem
Andropogon gerardii
Specialist
Warm-season-grass specialist host — the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center documents big bluestem as a larval host for the Delaware Skipper and Dusted Skipper. Planting native warm-season grasses is the single most effective way to support skipper populations.
Blue grama
Bouteloua gracilis
Specialist
Warm-season-grass specialist host — the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center lists blue grama as a larval host for the Garita Skipperling, Uncas Skipper, Pahaska Skipper, Green Skipper, Rhesus Skipper, and Simius Roadside-Skipper. Planting native prairie grasses is the most effective way to support these skipper populations.
Little bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium
Specialist
Little bluestem is one of the canonical larval host grasses for multiple skipper species (Hesperiidae) across eastern and central North America. Planting native warm-season grasses is the single most effective way to support skipper populations.
Prairie dropseed
Sporobolus heterolepis
Specialist
Poaceae specialist — multiple skipper species use prairie dropseed as larval host.
River oats
Chasmanthium latifolium
Specialist
Poaceae specialist — multiple skipper species use river oats as larval host.
Side-oats grama
Bouteloua curtipendula
Specialist
Poaceae specialist — multiple skipper species use side-oats grama as a larval host (the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center documents Green Skipper, Dotted Skipper, and others).
Blue false indigo
Baptisia australis
Documented
NC State documents wild indigo duskywing (Erynnis baptisiae) — a skipper specialist on Baptisia — as a larval host on this plant. Hoary edge (Achalarus lyciades) is also a duskywing-family Lep host per NC State.
Common bean
Phaseolus vulgaris
Documented
Long-tailed skipper (Urbanus proteus) and silver-spotted skipper (Epargyreus clarus) larvae feed on Phaseolus and other Fabaceae plants. In bean gardens, occasional skipper-caterpillar leaf damage is minor + part of the wedge-relevant Lep support story — don't spray.
Groundnut
Apios americana
Documented
Both the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and NC State Extension document Apios americana as a larval host for the Silver-spotted Skipper, a legume-feeding skipper whose caterpillars develop on this native vine.
Honey locust
Gleditsia triacanthos
Documented
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center lists honey locust as a larval host, including the Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus), a widespread legume-feeding skipper.
Indian grass
Sorghastrum nutans
Documented
Multiple grass skipper species use Sorghastrum nutans as a larval host alongside other native warm-season grasses (Andropogon, Schizachyrium). Planting Indian grass alongside little bluestem + switchgrass provides the broadest skipper-larva habitat.
Switchgrass
Panicum virgatum
Documented
Multiple skipper butterfly species use warm-season prairie grasses including switchgrass as larval food plants.
Nectar plants · 9
Common yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Documented
Short-tongued skippers find yarrow especially accessible because the small corolla tubes match their proboscis length.
Common zinnia
Zinnia elegans
Plausible
Skippers are frequent visitors to open composite flowers like zinnias; while the species pages cite butterflies generally rather than skippers by name, skipper nectaring on zinnias is widely observed.
Dense blazing star
Liatris spicata
Documented
Skippers work the top-down blooming spike efficiently — the disc-floret architecture matches short skipper proboscises.
French marigold
Tagetes patula
Plausible
Like other open marigold heads, the shallow florets are a nectar source visited by skippers and other small butterflies; this is a general nectar visit rather than a documented host relationship.
Garden mum
Chrysanthemum x morifolium
Plausible
NC State Plant Toolbox states the flowers attract butterflies; skippers are common late-season nectar visitors to open-flowered composites, so visitation is plausible though not individually documented for this hybrid.
Lantana
Lantana camara
Plausible
Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder lists the flowers as attractive to butterflies generally; flat-topped lantana clusters are a common nectar source for skippers, though MBG does not name this group specifically.
Short-toothed mountain mint
Pycnanthemum muticum
Documented
Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder records the flowers as attractive to butterflies; the dense nectar-rich heads draw skippers along with larger butterflies.
Sweet alyssum
Lobularia maritima
Documented
NC State Extension Plant Toolbox specifically notes that beetles, butterflies, and skippers feed off the plant.
Sweet Joe-Pye weed
Eutrochium purpureum
Documented
NC State explicitly lists skippers among the visitors; the small individual florets within each domed cluster fit short skipper proboscises.
Range
Diverse genera across North America; specific species depend on region.
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