Windwolf
Crex Meadows Butterflies... Dun Skipper
Dun Skipper
Euphyes vestris
Wing span: 1 1/8 - 1 3/8 inches (2.9 - 3.5 cm).
Caterpillar hosts: Various sedges including chufa flatsedge (Cyperus esculentus) and sun sedge (Carex heliophila).
Females lay eggs singly on leaves of the host plant. Caterpillars feed on leaves and make shelters of rolled or tied leaves.
Habitat: Wet areas near deciduous woods such as meadows, seeps, swamp edges, and streams.
Picture taken June 28, 2007
The Dun Skipper can easily be confused with both the Northern Broken Dash and the Little Glassywing.
People who watch and document butterflies refer to these as the "three witches" for their somewhat difficult identification, and others kid around and call them LBJ's. This stands for Little Brown Jobs.
The Dun skipper is usually the darkest of the three and the least spotted on the underside.
Picture taken July 30, 2007
The Dun skipper and Northern Broken Dash are both on Crex Meadows and it is possible the Little Glassywing flies here too.
Viewing the male Dun skipper from above, the forewing tends to be more solid and uniform brown. Very near the body at the top edge it can be a bit lighter.
The Northern Broken Dash is often much lighter brown on the forewing near the body extending towards the tip.
The female Dun skipper can have some spotting on the top forewing and is most likely to be confused with females of the other two skippers.
The picture on the left was taken July 19, 2009.
The timeline chart to the right is a rough guide to when I have seen Dun skippers on Crex Meadows. Wisconsin Butterflies has their primary flight time in the month of July, but these are sightings in the whole of wisconsin. Crex meadows may be a bit behind peaks due to its more northern location.
| Kingdom | Animalia | (Animals) |
| Phylum | Arthropoda | (Arthropods) |
| Superclass | Hexapoda | (Hexapods) |
| Class | Insecta | (Insects) |
| Subclass | Pterygota | (Winged Insects) |
| Order | Lepidoptera | (Butterflies and Moths) |
| Superfamily | Papilionoidea | (Butterflies) |
| Family | Hesperiidae | (Skippers) |
| Subfamily | Hesperiinae | (Grass Skippers) |
| Genus | Euphyes | |
| Species | vestris | (Dun Skipper) |