• 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

Two-spotted Skipper

(Euphyes bimacula)

This is not a common skipper in most of Wisconsin. I saw this species for the first time in 2003 at Sandhill Wildlife Area in Wood County, but I have only seen it here and in Necedah NWR less than 20 miles from here. I think it probably is still present in marshes northeast of this area, but there just hasn’t been many observations in this area in July.

Identifying characteristics: Below, this species has a bright orange head and orange on the leading edge of the wings that blends into a brownish gray color towards the trailing edge of the wing. The wing veins are somewhat prominent with a very distinct white fringe along the inner margin, which is distinctive. Above, the male has an orange head and the orange color also diminishes the farther away from the head you get. There is some variation in the amount of orange in the area of the stigma. Notice the difference in the two males in the bottom two photos. Above, the female also has an orange head with little orange on the leading edge of the forewings and two light spots in the middle of the forewing.

Similar species: This is a pretty distinctive skipper in Wisconsin and shouldn’t be confused with any other Wisconsin skipper

Habitat: Marshes and wet meadows.

Flight: One flight. In 2007 this species was seen on June 11, the earliest I have seen it reported in Wisconsin. This species can usually be expected in late June and early July and most often has a shorter flight period than the other wetland skippers.

Abundance: In 2003, Ron Arnold and I saw 39 of this species at Sandhill Wildlife Area and I reported it on the NABA sightings page. I received several emails commenting on the amazing number of this species as in the east it is an uncommon to see more than a couple of these individuals in a day. We saw these on a NABA count and this was the record number of this species on any count in the nation up to that time.

Early Two-spotted Skipper sightings, all years

Date seen	County	Reported by
06–11–2007	Juneau	Ann Thering
06–21–2007	Wood	Mike Reese
07–04–2007	Wood	Ron Arnold
07–08–2006	Wood	Ron Arnold

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