New Jersey Butterfly Club

Peck's Skipper

Polites peckius

Identification: Tiny—FW ~0.5". Sexes similar below. Above: Male's FW stigma is bordered by an orange patch above (along leading edge of FW), an oval brown patch below, and a small rectangular orange spot at the stigma's outer end. Female FW dark, with orange leading edge and several pale spots. HW of both sexes dark, with orange or pale spots forming a rear-pointing arrow. Below: HW reddish-brown with a large, yellow central patch usually divided in two by an irregular brown band; the central spot of the outer yellow patch projects rearward. Similar skippers: Zabulon male is larger and has scattered rusty-brown spots in the single large yellow patch on the HW below.

NJ Status and Distribution: Resident. Common in northern and central counties, less so in southern counties.

Habitat: Grassy areas of all kinds, both upland and wetland. Readily visits garden flowers.

Flight Period: Three broods from mid-May—early October. Extreme dates: North Jersey 4/27—10/23; South Jersey 4/29—10/24.

Caterpillar Food Plants: Various grasses, including Rice Cutgrass (Leersia oryzoides) and bluegrasses (Poa).

Overwintering Stage: Full-grown caterpillar, or possibly pupa.

Good Locations: Delaware Water Gap NRA, Whittingham WMA, Kittatinny Valley SP, White Lake NRA, Schooley’s Mountain CP, Big Brook Park, Riverwinds Scenic Trail, Wheelabrator Refuge, Tall Pines State Preserve.

Comments: In South Jersey this species is much more common on the Inner Coastal Plain than in coastal areas.