The Lace-Winged Roadside-Skipper butterfly has a distinctive appearance that makes it difficult to confuse with any other skipper. The underside of the hindwing is dark brown with contrasting white veins which are criss-crossed by white bands to form a complex, lace-like pattern. The underside of the forewing has a white band that also contributes to this pattern.  The upperside of the hindwing is brown while the forewing has an arc of white spots forming a curved white band near the central portion of the wing. The fringes of the outer wing margins are checkered with dark brown and white squares.

 

“Lace-winged Roadside-Skipper” by Pondhawk, licensed under (CC BY 2.0)

 

Lace-winged Roadside-Skipper Facts

Butterfly Family: Skipper (Hesperiidae)

Butterfly Subfamily: Hesperiinae

Butterfly Wingspan: 1 3/16 – 1 1/2 inches

Butterfly Habitat: Moist, dense woods with cane growth

 

Lace-winged Roadside-Skipper Host and Nectar Plants

Host Plants:

• Giant Cane
• Switch Cane

Nectar Plants:

• Nectar from various flowers
  • Blackberry
  • White Clover
  • Sweet Pepperbush
  • Dogbane
  • Elephant’s Foot
  • Bee Balm
  • Dandelion
  • Ironweed
  • Purple Coneflower
  • Tall Bellflower