New Jersey Butterfly Club

Little Glassywing

Pompeius verna

Identification: Very small—FW ≥0.6". Sexes similar below. Above: Male: FW and HW both blackish-brown. FW with 3 pale "bracelet" spots near apex and prominent pale or yellowish translucent ("glassy") marks in center of wing. HW unmarked. Female similar, with even more-prominent glassy marks in FW, the largest one rectangular. Below: Both wings dark brown, HW with an uneven postmedian crescent of tiny, narrow to round pale spots, and a somewhat isolated pale spot toward the leading edge. Glassy "bracelet" marks show on FW. Other: Both sexes show a white patch on the antennae just below the club. Similar skippers: Dun: Head and upper thorax golden when fresh. Male lacks both FW and HW markings. Female lacks large, rectangular, glassy spot on FW above and "bracelet" has only 2 spots. Northern Broken-Dash: Overall color more yellowish-brown, leading edge of FW tawny. Variably prominent markings on HW below usually in shape of a "3." Male FW above has 2-part stigma with small, elongate orange mark at end; Female FW has diagonal line of non-glassy yellowish marks.

NJ Status and Distribution: Resident. Widespread and common. A common visitor to gardens.

Habitat: Almost any open, grassy area.

Flight Period: One brood, from early June to mid-August, peaking in late June in the north, and in early June in the south. Extreme dates: North Jersey: 5/28—8/24; South Jersey: 5/16—10/11.

Caterpillar Food Plant: Purpletop Tridens grass (Tridens flavus).

Overwintering Stage: Early-instar caterpillar.

Good Locations: Mountainside Park, Horseshoe Bend Park, White Lake NRA, Schooley’s Mountain CP, Lord Stirling Park, Sourland Mountain Preserve, Troy Meadows, Allaire State Park, Tall Pines State Preserve, Riverwinds Nature Trail, Wheelabrator Refuge.

Comments: White spot below antennal club can be hard to see at some angles. Conversely, one sometimes imagines seeing light bases to the antennal clubs of similar species!