Butterflies of North Carolina

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Once on a species account page, clicking on the "View PDF" link will show the flight data for that species, for each of the three regions of the state.
Other information, such as high counts and earliest/latest dates, can also been seen on the PDF page.

Related Species in HESPERIIDAE:
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Common Name

Little Glassywing by Roger Rittmaster => Durham Co.
[View PDF]

Click to enlarge
[Google Images] BoA [Images ]

Scientific Name

Vernia verna

Link to BAMONA species account.

Map

Click on a county for list of all database records for the species in that county.

Distribution

DISTRIBUTION: Statewide, occurring in all three provinces, but very few records from the southeastern portion of the state. However, there are numerous records for coastal SC; thus, it should occur in most (if not all) Coastal Plain counties in NC, but it is certainly not an artifact of field work that there are so few records for that part of the Coastal Plain.

Abundance

ABUNDANCE: Fairly common and widespread, to locally common, in the mountains and Piedmont. Uncommon in the northern and western Coastal Plain (including the Sandhills); seemingly rare in the outer (eastern) Coastal Plain, and very rare to rare in parts of the central Coastal Plain.

Flight

FLIGHT PERIOD: Two broods downstate; mid-May to early July, and mid- or late July to late September, rarely to mid-October. This species has a distinct gap in the flight period in early summer in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain. However, it flies in the mountains in July; the primary brood there is from early June to early August. There is a small second brood in the mountains in late August and September, but more data needed for these months.

Habitat

HABITAT: This is a species of mesic to somewhat damp places, and is not numerous in dry sites. It also has a tendency toward wooded edges and is not characteristic of open fields. It is usually seen along borders of hardwood or mixed forests, along powerline clearings through forests, along roads and wide trails through forests, and so forth. In the Coastal Plain, it favors damp places more so than upstate.

See also Habitat Account for Wet, Grassy Glades and Forest Margins

Plants

FOOD AND NECTAR PLANTS: Tall Redtop (Tridens flavus) is the most often reported foodplant, but other tall native grasses are likely used. The species nectars on a great variety of flowers; mountain-mints (Pycnanthemum spp.) are a favorite in the Piedmont, and Indian-hemp (Apocynum cannabinum) is used throughout the state.

Comments

COMMENTS: This species can be difficult to separate from both the Northern Broken-Dash and the Dun Skipper; worn individuals can also be confused with the Crossline Skipper. Powerline clearings are good places to find them. The species can be surprisingly local; I often can find 10 or more in an hour at Umstead State Park or Durant Nature Park in Wake County, but it can be hard to find in seemingly similar-looking places elsewhere. Nonetheless, it is a numerous skipper in NC.

It is difficult to explain the unusual "gap" in records for the southern Coastal Plain, considering its presence in a great number of Coastal Plain counties in SC. This has not been for lack of field work in NC, and margins of moist hardwood forests, powerline cuts, etc., are abundant. Is Tall Redtop or other foodplants scarce there?

State Rank

State Status

Global Rank

Federal Status

Synonym

Pompeius verna

Other Name

Links to other butterfly galleries: [Cook] [Lynch] [Pippen] [Pugh]
	Photo by: Richard Stickney Comment: Durham Co., August 2016. female Little Glassywing - Click to enlarge	Photo by: Matt Spangler Comment: August 16, 2019. Durham Co. Little Glassywing - Click to enlarge
	Photo by: Salman Abdulali Comment: 2012-04-21. Pitt County. male Little Glassywing - Click to enlarge	Photo by: Salman Abdulali Comment: 2010-08-15. Durham County. female Little Glassywing - Click to enlarge
	Photo by: Salman Abdulali Comment: Island Creek trail in Jones County Little Glassywing - Click to enlarge	Photo by: Sven Halling Comment: May 31, 2013, Pilot Mountain State Park, Surry County Little Glassywing - Click to enlarge
	Photo by: Chris Talkington Comment: Mecklenburg County, 30-June-2013 Little Glassywing - Click to enlarge	Photo by: Chris Talkington Comment: Mecklenburg County, 30-June-2013 Little Glassywing - Click to enlarge