Bug FAQPalmetto Skipper
Euphyes arpa · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Hesperiidae
The Palmetto Skipper has a wingspan of about 1.75 to 2 inches (41 to 49 mm) and shows bright orange on the body, head and thorax with yellow-orange undersides on the hindwings; males are more colorful than females. It lives in moist habitats with saw palmetto, such as open pine flats and wet scrub/shrub wetlands, and is found mainly in Florida and nearby Gulf states. Larvae eat saw palmetto fronds, while adults sip nectar from flowers like pickerelweeds; adults appear from March through November with several generations per year.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Males are bright orange with black borders, while females are more muted; both sexes have a yellow-orange underside on the hindwings and an orange thorax and head.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The wingspan ranges from 41 to 49 mm, roughly 1¾ to 2 inches.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Caterpillars feed on the fronds of saw palmetto (Serenoa repens). Adults drink nectar from various flowers, including pickerelweeds (Pontederia).
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The species overwinters as a larva.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are on the wing from about March to November, producing several broods each year.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is most common in Florida and also recorded in Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 5 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
When can I see Palmetto Skippers?
Adults are active from March through November, often with multiple generations.
Source: Wikipedia
Where does this butterfly live?
It lives in moist habitats with saw palmetto, such as open pine flats and wet scrub wetlands, mainly in Florida and nearby Gulf states.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Hesperiidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphyes_arpa
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.