• Butterflies
• Dragonflies
• Damselflies
• Tiger beetles
• Hike with Mike

• The butterflies:
• Skippers
  • Spread-wing Skippers
  • Skipperlings
  • Grass-Skippers
• Grass-Skippers
  • Swarthy Skipper
  • Least Skipper
  • Poweshiek Skipperling
  • European Skipper
  • Fiery Skipper
  • Common Branded Skipper
  • Ottoe Skipper
  • Leonard’s Skipper
  • Cobweb Skipper
  • Indian Skipper
  • Peck’s Skipper
  • Tawny-edged Skipper
  • Crossline Skipper
  • Long Dash
  • Northern Broken-Dash
  • Little Glassywing
  • Sachem
  • Delaware Skipper
  • Byssus Skipper
  • Mulberry Wing
  • Hobomok Skipper
  • Broad-winged Skipper
  • Dion Skipper
  • Black Dash
  • Two-spotted Skipper
  • Dun Skipper
  • Dusted Skipper
  • Pepper and Salt Skipper
  • Common Roadside-Skipper
  • Eufala Skipper
  • Arogos Skipper

Little Glassywing

(Pompeius verna)

The Little Glassywing is not a common butterfly in Wisconsin. When the “Butterflies of Wisconsin” was written in 1970, only two specimens of this species were known from the state. I had not seen this species in central Wisconsin until 2003 when I saw two individuals in Fond du Lac County, two individuals in Marquette County in 2004, and one in 2005 in Buffalo County. Others have seen this species in the more southern and northern counties, so it is likely that it is found throughout the state, but rarely in large numbers. NABA counts for Wisconsin for 2004 and 2005 had only 26 individuals in 36 counts taken in those years.

Identifying characteristics: This is mainly a dark skipper from both above and below. From below, very fresh individuals appear somewhat reddish brown with a very faint spot band on the hindwing. From above, the female has a large, nearly square, white spot in the middle of the forewing. The male is similar but the large spot is rectangular rather than square.

Similar species: The female Dun Skipper and the female Northern Broken-Dash are somewhat similar and have been referred to as the “three witches” by a variety of authors. All three skippers are very dark and if they are all moving around together it is indeed somewhat difficult to distinguish each species. The Dun Skipper is much darker above with light spots usually much smaller and less obvious, especially the subapical white spots on the forewing that are very obvious and conspicuous on the Little Glassywing. The Northern Broken-Dash usually has some lighter, orange coloration on the leading edge of the forewing and the larger spot in the middle of the forewing is not as large, nor as square as the Little Glassywing and is also orange, especially in fresh individuals. The Little Glassywing, unlike the other two species, has a white area on the antennae just before the antennae clubs. This may not be the easiest to see and if I look at the photos here, only the bottom one really shows this characteristic.

Habitat: Usually found in moist, open areas near woodland edges.

Flight: One generation. The first ones are usually seen in the late June and are usually in flight until early August.

Abundance: This is not a common species in Wisconsin. I have only seen it at five sites and saw seven on one day in 2007, the most that I have ever seen in one day.

Early Little Glassywing sightings, all years

Date seen	County	Reported by
06–18–2006	Marinette	Mike Reese
06–18–2006	Marinette	Mike Reese
06–25–2005	Dane	David Drexler
06–30–2007	Ozaukee	NABA count, 12 observers
07–04–2007	Grant	Todd Sima
07–10–2007	Buffalo	NABA count, 8 participants

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