Bug FAQCobweb Skipper
Hesperia metea · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Hesperiidae
The cobweb skipper is a butterfly in the skipper family Hesperiidae. Adults have a wingspan of about 29 to 35 mm and are seen from late March through early June.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Hesperia metea, known as the cobweb skipper, belongs to the butterfly family Hesperiidae.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The species measures 29 to 35 mm across the wings when spread.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Caterpillars feed on a variety of grasses such as little bluestem and big bluestem. Adult butterflies sip nectar from low-lying flowers like Labrador tea, wild strawberry, blackberry, and several others.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
There is a single generation each year, with adults flying from late March to early June.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are on the wing from late March through early June.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native distribution is scattered throughout the United States in the same regions.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 33 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Michigan, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Maryland, Ohio, New York, Virginia.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do the caterpillars eat?
The larvae feed on grasses such as little bluestem and big bluestem.
Source: Wikipedia
What flowers do the adults visit?
Adults drink nectar from low-growing plants like Labrador tea, wild strawberry, blackberry, and others.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Hesperiidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hesperia_metea
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.