Common Checkered Skipper

The Common Checkered Skipper (Pyrgus communis) is a species of butterfly in the Hesperiidae family. The skipper members of this Order of insects are generally small and characterized by fast flight. Their wing venation and widely separated, curve-tipped antennae, also distinguish this group. Skippers are divided into giant skipper, grass skipper, shrub skipper and mimic skipper families.

Common Checkered Skipper flies in gardens, parks, fields, roadsides, riverbanks, lowlands and foothills throughout southern Canada and almost the entire expanse of the United States. It has also been seen in Mexico. This specimen from San Francisco has blue-gray hairs on the thorax. The wing patternation of the common checkered skipper varies considerably. This species represents the most common skipper in the United States. Males aggressively patrol their territory by darting around and investigate anything that enters its domain. Green eggs turn to a cream color just prior to hatching. Their caterpillars feed mainly on wild mallows and live in nests made of rolled leaves.

The Common Checkered Skipper has a wingspan of 19 to 32 mm. It gets its name from the checkerboard pattern on its wings; the male tends to have broader bands than the female. The body tends to be blue-gray with the small amount of "fuzz" which is seen in all skippers.

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