Butterflies of North Carolina:
their Distribution and Abundance
Common Name: Scientific Name:
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Number of records: 249,613
Related Species in HESPERIIDAE:
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Common NameLittle Glassywing by Roger Rittmaster => Durham Co.
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Scientific NameVernia verna
Link to BAMONA species account.
MapClick on a county for list of all database records for the species in that county.
Flight Chart
Common NameLittle Glassywing
Scientific NameVernia verna
DistributionDISTRIBUTION: Essentially 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 parts of the Coastal Plain, such as the well-surveyed mainland of Dare County.
AbundanceABUNDANCE: 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. Declines as seen in many other grass skippers in recent years are not overly apparent with the Little Glassywing, but it likely is slightly less numerous than it was 20 or more years ago.
FlightFLIGHT 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 late May or 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.
HabitatHABITAT: 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 in the upstate.
PlantsFOOD 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.
CommentsCOMMENTS: 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 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 "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 Status (first) and Rank (second)none - S5
Federal Status (first) and Global Rank (second)none - G5
SynonymPompeius 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