Bug FAQHuron Skipper
Atalopedes huron · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Hesperiidae
Also called: Sachems and Allies
The Huron Skipper is a small butterfly with a wingspan of about 2.5 to 3.8 cm (1 to 1½ inches). It lives in the southeastern United States, extending west to Colorado and southeastern Arizona, and its range continues south through Central America to South America; it migrates in late summer and fall, sometimes reaching southern Canada.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Males show tawny orange wings with wide dark borders and a large black stigma on the dorsal side. Females are darker, have orange forewing edges, and display two glass-like spots near the centre of the wings plus smaller spots near the tip.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The wingspan ranges from about 2.5 cm to 3.8 cm (1 to 1½ inches).
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is a resident species throughout the southeastern United States, westward to Colorado and southeastern Arizona, and southward through Central America to South America.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
The species undertakes a late-summer to fall migration each year and can occasionally be found as far north as southern Canada.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native distribution matches its habitat range from the southeastern U.S. to South America.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It was once considered a subspecies of Atalopedes campestris but was elevated to full species status in 2022.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 48 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; 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/Atalopedes_huron
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.