Common Banded Skipper

Common Banded Skipper is a dull orange, with quite dissimilar white spots. Above, the male is orange with a fairly wide black margin, and a prominent stigma. This skipper is highly variable, both between subspecies and individually. The upperside is orange brown blending gradually into dark brown along the wing margin. The underside is various shades of brown with at least a small amount of green shading and often with a peppery olive-green appearance.

The spot of Common Banded Skipper band on the hindwing below is white and highly contrasting, with the spots sometimes partially fused into an irregular median band. Females are dark brown above with variable orange spots and blotches,with a couple of lighter spots in the middle of the front wings. Wingspan: 22 to 30 mm, with females averaging larger than males.

The Leonard is very similar to this species; the upper wings of the male and female of these two species are nearly indistinguishable. Both skippers are late-season skippers and could be found as a single unit in some Wisconsin areas. Below, the Leonard’s Skipper has a reddish tinge to it, especially in very fresh individuals, while the Common Branded Skipper has a much lighter color, and even a somewhat greenish tinge.

Common Banded Skipper occurs across Eurasia and northwestern Africa, and in North America from coast to coast in boreal and subalpine habitats from treeline south to Colorado. It is absent from southern Ontario south of Algonquin Provincial Park and from the Prairies.

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