European Skipper

In North America this butterfly is known as the European skipper in Europe however it is called the Essex skipper. It is an invasive species to North America, introduced in Ontario Canada in 1910, it has quickly spread through out much of the north East and Great Lakes regions of North America.

European Skipper

The European skipper is a common butterfly found in portions of north eastern North America. Unfortunately this is not where the species originated from. The European skipper is an invasive species that was accidentally introduced into Canada mixed in with imported grass seed back in 1910. In Europe it is called the Essex skipper.
By 1925 it had expanded its range and was spotted for the first time in the United States. Their range has continued to expand and now ranges from eastern North Dakota in the west and the Carolinas in the south. The larva of the European skipper consists of variety of grasses, including Timothy and quack-grasses. The adult feeds on the nectar of flowers as in the photos above.

European Skipper

European Skipper

European Skipper an Invasive Butterfly

Earlier today I spent most of the morning and early afternoon surveying butterflies as part of the St Paul Audubon's Annual Butterfly Count. The count is held each year at the Arden Hills Army Training Site, more commonly referred to as AHATS.
Since AHATS is a secured military training facility that is under the control of the Minnesota National Guard it takes special permission to get access. This is one of the reasons that I enjoy working on the survey because I get the opportunity to see a little bit of the wildlife that can be found in this large mostly natural expanse. Unfortunately weather hampered this years count and the cloudy skies and wind held down the number of species that we found.
The main butterfly that we saw on the count was the European skipper. This invasive species was accidentally introduced to North America back in 1910 in London, Ontario. Since then it has spread through out much of the continent. It lays its eggs in strings on a larval host plant, mostly grasses, and then overwinters as an egg. In the spring the caterpillars will eat the grasses until maturing and then will pupate. In Europe these butterflies are known as the essex skipper.

European Skipper

European Skipper

European Skipper