Bug FAQCommon Checkered-Skipper
Burnsius communis · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Hesperiidae
The common checkered-skipper is a small butterfly with a wingspan of about 19 to 32 mm and a blue-gray body covered in fine fuzz. Its wings show a checkerboard pattern, with males typically having broader bands than females.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The wings have a checkerboard pattern; males usually show broader bands than females. The body is blue-gray with a light covering of fuzz common to skippers.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan ranges from 19 to 32 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
In southern areas it flies year-round with several generations. In northern areas it has two generations and flies into late fall.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Southern populations are active all year with multiple broods. Northern populations have two broods and are seen late into the fall.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Occurs throughout southern Canada and most of the United States. Also reported in Mexico.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Scientific name is Burnsius communis, formerly Pyrgus communis, in the family Hesperiidae.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 47 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Colorado, Ohio, Virginia, Texas, North Carolina, Michigan, Maryland.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Same family (Hesperiidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burnsius_communis
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.