Bug FAQLaviana White-Skipper
Heliopetes laviana · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Hesperiidae
Adults sip flower nectar, while the caterpillars feed on the leaves of various mallows such as Sphaeralcea, Sida and Abutilon.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The Laviana white-skipper belongs to the butterfly family Hesperiidae.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Its wingspan is roughly 35 to 42 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adult butterflies feed on flower nectar. Larvae eat the leaves of several mallows, including Sphaeralcea, Sida and Abutilon species.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
In southern Texas there are multiple generations each year. Caterpillars live in a nest made by folding leaves together.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 4 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Washington, Idaho, Arizona.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do Laviana white-skippers eat?
Adults sip nectar from flowers, and the caterpillars feed on the leaves of mallows such as Sphaeralcea, Sida and Abutilon.
Source: Wikipedia
How many generations do they have in Texas?
In southern Texas they can produce several generations each year.
Source: Wikipedia
Do the larvae make any shelters?
Yes, the caterpillars create a nest by folding leaves together.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Hesperiidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heliopetes_laviana
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.