New Jersey Butterfly Club

Clouded Skipper

Lerema accius

Identification: Very small—FW 0.7". Sexes similar below. Above: FW dark brown with 3 connected "bracelet" spots near the apex and 1 or 2 separated white spots in central area. The central spots are more conspicuous in the female, with the innermost one larger. HW unmarked dark brown. Below: Both wings dark brown, with pale, violet-tinged "frosting" along margins, and a separate area of frosting across the inner HW. The dark band between the frosted areas may be more conspicuous than the frosting itself when the butterfly is worn. Similar skippers: Most resembles a female Zabulon Skipper but lacks that species' white line along outer curve of HW.

NJ Status and Distribution: Nonresident. An irregular summer immigrant to NJ's Delaware Bayshore counties (mainly Cape May).

Habitat: Open, grassy areas with flowers—including gardens—often near woods.

Flight Period: August—September, rarely into October. Extreme dates: 6/18—11/9.

Caterpillar Food Plants: Grasses (Paspalum, Erianthus, Echinochloa).

Overwintering Stage: Pupa, but apparently does not overwinter in NJ.

Good Locations: Cape May Point SP, Higbee Beach WMA, Cape May NWR and surrounding area.

Comments: Partial to nectaring on Perennial Pea (Lathyrus latifolius).