Bug FAQLace-winged Roadside-Skipper
Amblyscirtes aesculapius (formerly Mastor aesculapius) · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Hesperiidae
The lace-winged roadside-skipper is a small butterfly with a wingspan of about 30 to 38 mm. It lives in the eastern United States, from eastern Oklahoma and Texas eastward to Virginia and down the Atlantic coast to northern Florida. Adults fly from early spring through late summer and there are typically two generations each year.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Amblyscirtes aesculapius, known as the lace-winged roadside-skipper, belongs to the skipper family Hesperiidae.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Its wingspan ranges between 30 and 38 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is found from eastern Oklahoma and Texas east to southeast Virginia and along the Atlantic coast to northern Florida.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Caterpillars probably feed on bamboo species of the genus Arundinaria.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are on the wing from March through September. The species produces two generations each year.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Flight period extends from early spring to early fall, roughly March to September.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 16 of 51 states and DC. Most records: South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, Tennessee, Florida, Arkansas, Alabama.
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
When can I see adult lace-winged roadside-skippers?
Adults are active from March through September.
Source: Wikipedia
How many generations does this butterfly have each year?
There are two generations per year.
Source: Wikipedia
What do the caterpillars eat?
The larvae probably feed on Arundinaria bamboo species.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Hesperiidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amblyscirtes_aesculapius
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.