Butterflies of North Carolina

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Scientific Name begins with:
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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

Carolina Roadside-Skipper by Roger Rittmaster => Howell Woods, Johnston County
[View PDF]

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Scientific Name

Amblyscirtes carolina

Link to BAMONA species account.

Map

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

Distribution

DISTRIBUTION: Throughout the Coastal Plain, and along the extreme eastern and southern edge of the Piedmont, inland to southwestern Halifax, Franklin, Wake, and Lincoln counties.

Abundance

ABUNDANCE: Uncommon and somewhat local in the Coastal Plain, though common in a few areas; very rare in the narrow Piedmont range. Seemingly quite scarce in the southern portion of the Coastal Plain (not even any records for Pender County), despite an abundance of habitat. Appears to have declined in numbers across the state in the past few years, probably owing to flooding events.

Flight

FLIGHT PERIOD: Three broods; very late March to mid-May, early or mid-June into early July, and late July to late September. The second brood seems small, whereas the third is certainly the largest.

Habitat

HABITAT: This cane (Arundinaria spp.) feeder is, not surprisingly, always found near cane -- usually Switch Cane (A. tecta) -- stands in wet places. Habitats are edges and openings in swamps and bottomlands, borders of pocosins, and canals or ditches near cane. It is usually associated with cane in hardwoods, as opposed to pinewoods.

See also Habitat Account for General Cane Thickets

Plants

FOOD AND NECTAR PLANTS: The foodplant is apparently only cane. The species nectars on moderate occasions, on a variety of species. As with most other roadside-skippers, they are more often seen on the ground or perched on leaves than at flowers.

Comments

COMMENTS: This is an uncommon species in its rather small range, which extends from the Great Dismal Swamp west to the Mississippi River. Surprisingly, the species is not found in FL or near the Gulf Coast, and records from SC are spotty and very rare (with only three counties known for it). The species is more numerous, and best known, in NC than in any other state. I found the species quite numerous at many sites in Johnston County in 2000, with a remarkable 35 observed on August 10. To top those totals, several of us tallied a stunning 113 individuals on a count in Croatan National Forest in 2003, with 93 in Craven County. The 113 individuals is, by far, the record one-day count for North America.

State Rank

S3S4

State Status

Global Rank

G3G4

Federal Status

Synonym

Other Name

Links to other butterfly galleries: [Cook] [Lynch] [Pippen] [Pugh]
Photo Gallery for Carolina Roadside-Skipper
	Photo by: Nancy Baldwin Comment: Carteret Co., 1999 Carolina Roadside-Skipper - Click to enlarge	Photo by: Scott Hartley Comment: Weymouth Woods preserve, Moore Co. Carolina Roadside-Skipper - Click to enlarge
	Photo by: Comment: Warren Co. https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/205408279 Carolina Roadside-Skipper - Click to enlarge	Photo by: Dennis Forsythe Comment: 2015-Aug-08, Johnston County, Howell Woods Carolina Roadside-Skipper - Click to enlarge
	Photo by: Richard Stickney Comment: Howell Woods in Johnston County, August 7, 2011 Carolina Roadside-Skipper - Click to enlarge	Photo by: W. Cook Comment: Craven Co., NC 27-Aug-2006. Carolina Roadside-Skipper - Click to enlarge
	Photo by: W. Cook Comment: Craven Co., NC 19-Aug-2001. Carolina Roadside-Skipper - Click to enlarge	Photo by: Salman Abdulali Comment: Boyd Lee Park, Pitt County; 2012-Aug-06 Carolina Roadside-Skipper - Click to enlarge