Fiery Skipper (Hylephila phyleus)

Description: Like many skippers, this medium sized skipper is sexually dimorphic. Males are bright yellowish-orange above with a jagged dark brown margin on the hindwing and dark patches on the forewing, below the hindwing is orange with small dark spots. Females are dark brown, above with light orange spots, below forewing with whitish-orange spots, hindwing grayish-brown with subtle pale crescent bordered by darkened spots. Wingspan: 22 to 33 mm.

Maritime Distribution: Vagrant. For Atlas results click here.

Provincial Ranks: NB: SNA. NS: -. PEI: SNA.

Flight Period: In Massachusetts it flies from early September to late October (Massachusetts Butterfly Atlas, 2009).

Host Plant: Variety of weedy grasses.

Notes: A very rare stray from the south. The only record from before the Atlas is a specimen collected at Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, on July 29, 1947.