Leonard's Skipper

[Clay Taylor]

All -

    To echo Lenny on that point, I have very rarely found Leonard's Skippers in a place where Joe-Pye Weed was not present, although I have seen them nectaring at flowers that were not blue or purple - most notably Goldenrod (Solidago ssp.) and Tall Sunflower (the wild variety).

    More important than the presence of Eupatorium, however, is the overall vegetation pattern of the potential Leonard's Skipper habitat.  A field full of Joe-Pye Weed that is very densely packed with wildflowers and tall grasses seems to be very UNattractive to a Leonard's.  They seem to prefer vegetation that is more spread out, with thin spots and low growth as well as taller plants, creating a mixed bag of plant types.  A perfect example is the lower fields at Barbara Kashanski's property in East Haddam - the northern part of the field has lower grasses and flowers, and is easy to walk through, while the southern part of the field is tall, densely packed, and tough walking.  The southern end had more flowers and attracts more butterflies, but I only find the Leonard's Skippers in the north end of the field.  The same goes for Pleasant Valley in Lyme, and the field (recently mowed) along Rt 66 and Rt 17A in Portland.

Happy Hunting,

Clay Taylor
Moodus
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Epmanshell at aol.com 
  To: CTleps-L at lists.yale.edu 
  Sent: Sunday, September 02, 2001 5:42 PM
  Subject: Re: Leonard's Skipper


  Sunday 9/2-Earlier today, during a brief visit to Valley Service Rd., North 
  Haven, I found a total of 11 species of butterflies including 2 Leonard's 
  Skippers. 

  The Leonard's Skippers were found along the North side of the big field and 
  the access road leading to the big field, respectively. 

  Glassberg (1999) noted that this species is partial to purple flowers.  I 
  found one individual nectaring on Purple Loosestrife and the other on 
  Joe-Pye-Weed.  In the past, I have also seen it nectaring on purple asters.   
  This is all consistent with Glassberg's comment and should be an aid to 
  anyone looking for this attractive species. 

  For the record, the complete species list for the day is as follows: 

  Cabbage White (15) 
  Orange Sulphur (3) 
  Eastern Tailed Blue (8) 
  Pearl Crescent (20) 
  Painted Lady (2) 
  Viceroy (2) 
  Monarch (3) 
  Silver-spotted Skipper (3) 
  Least Skipper (15) 
  Leonard's Skipper (2) 
  Peck's Skipper (2) 

  Sincerely yours, 

  Lenny Brown 
  Wallingford 

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