Poanes zabulon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Zabulon Skipper |
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| Upper side of the male | |
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Not evaluated (IUCN 3.1)
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P. zabulon
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| Poanes zabulon Boisduval & LeConte (1837)
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Meet the Zabulon Skipper (Poanes zabulon), a cool butterfly found in North America. Sometimes, people call it the Southern Dimorphic Skipper.
Contents
What Does the Zabulon Skipper Look Like?
This small butterfly has wings shaped like triangles. The top side of the male's wings is mostly orange. The edges of his wings are dark brown. The underside of the male's wings is mainly yellow-orange. The edges are also dark brown. On his hind wing (the bottom wing), there is a brown patch near where the wing connects to the body. This patch has a yellow spot inside it.
The top side of the female's wings is dark brown. She has large, clear spots near the edge of her fore wing (the top wing). The underside of the female's wings is a brownish-purplish color. Her hind wing has a white stripe along its top edge. These butterflies have a wingspan of about 1⅜ to 1⅝ inches (3.5 to 4.1 cm).
Similar Butterflies: Zabulon vs. Hobomok Skipper
The only butterfly that looks very similar to the Zabulon Skipper in the same areas is the Hobomok Skipper (Poanes hobomok).
The Hobomok Skipper lives more in the northern parts of the country. It also flies at different times of the year. Their wings are also more rounded than the Zabulon Skipper's. The male Hobomok Skipper's wings have thicker dark brown edges on the top side. Also, the underside of the male Hobomok's hind wing does not have the yellow spot that the Zabulon has. While the female Zabulon Skipper only has one look, the female Hobomok Skipper has two forms. One is the normal form, and the other is called the pocahontas form. The pocahontas form has smaller clear spots on the top side of its wings.
Where Do Zabulon Skippers Live?
You can find the Zabulon Skipper from Wisconsin all the way east to the Atlantic Coast. They also live south into Georgia, Texas, and even as far as Panama.
Zabulon Skipper Habitats
The Zabulon Skipper can live in many different places. They like edges of woodlands, open areas in forests, and areas near roads and streams. They can also live in places like suburban neighborhoods, parks, and gardens. This shows they are good at adapting to different environments.
When Do Zabulon Skippers Fly?
These butterflies can be seen flying from March to April and then again from August to October in the southern parts of their range. In the northern areas, you can spot them from May to July and then again from August to September.
Life Cycle of the Zabulon Skipper
Male and female Zabulon Skippers usually find partners in the afternoon. However, sometimes this can happen as early as 8:20 A.M. Females lay their eggs one by one on the underside of the leaves of their host plants.
The caterpillar can be either brown or green. Sometimes it has a slightly pink color. It can be very hard to tell the difference between caterpillars that are closely related. The chrysalis (the stage before becoming a butterfly) is often formed inside a leaf that the caterpillar has folded into a shelter. The chrysalis is brown. Its lower body part, called the abdomen, is a lighter brown with small black dots. We don't know much about where they spend the winter (their hibernating stage). The Zabulon Skipper usually has two groups of offspring, called broods, each year.
Images for kids
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Upperside of the male Zabulon Skipper
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