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