THE SKIPPER BUTTERFLIES
SUPERFAMILY _Hesperioidea_
The true butterflies are so distinct in their structure and many
of their habits from the Skippers that the most careful students
of the order are pretty well agreed in making the two great
superfamilies--Papilionoidea, the true butterflies, and Hesperioidea,
the Skipper butterflies. The latter includes these two families:
The Giant Skippers (_Megathymidae_).
The Common Skippers (_Hesperiidae_).
These insects as a whole are distinguished from the higher butterflies
by their large moth-like bodies, small wings, hooked antennae (except
in the Giant Skippers), by having five branches of the radius vein
arising from the large central cell. The larvae spin slight cocoons in
which to pupate and the pupae are rounded rather than angular.
The two families are readily distinguished by the differences in their
size and the structure of the antennae. The Giant Skippers measure two
inches or more across the expanded wings and have comparatively small
heads, with the clubs of the antennae not pointed or recurved. The
Common Skippers are smaller, and have very large heads with the
antennal clubs drawn out and recurved.
THE GIANT SKIPPERS
FAMILY _Megathymidae_
Although large in size, the Giant Skippers are few in numbers. Only
one genus and five species are listed for North America, and
practically all of these are confined to the Southwestern states and
Mexico. Some of them extend as far north as Colorado and as far east
as Florida.
[Illustration: Megathymus yuccae. Female. (After Riley.)]
So far as the story of its life is concerned, the best-known species
is the Yucca-borer Skipper (_Megathymus yuccae_) which was carefully
studied by the late Dr. C. V. Riley. As will be seen from the picture
above which represents the adult, natural size, this skipper has a
body so large as to suggest some of the heavy-bodied moths. The wings
are dark brown, marked with red-brown spots and bands. They fly by day
and when at rest hold the wings erect.
These adults lay eggs upon the leaves of Spanish needle or yucca. The
eggs soon hatch into little caterpillars which at first roll parts of
the leaves into cylinders, fastening the sides in place by silken
threads, and later burrow into the stem and root, often making a
tunnel a foot or more deep. Here the caterpillars remain until full
grown. They are then nearly four inches long and half an inch in
diameter. They now pupate in the top of their tunnel and in due season
emerge as adults.
THE COMMON SKIPPERS
FAMILY _Hesperiidae_
The Skippers are the least developed of the butterflies. They show
their close relationship to the moths both by their structure and
their habits. The larvae make slight cocoons before changing to
chrysalids, and these chrysalids are so rounded that they suggest the
pupae of moths rather than those of butterflies. The common
name--Skippers--is due to the habit of the butterflies--a jerky,
skipping flight as they wing their erratic way from flower to flower.
In North America the Skipper family includes nearly two hundred
species grouped in about forty genera. From this point of view it is
the largest family of our butterflies, but on account of the small
size and limited range of most of the species it has by no means the
general importance of such families as the Nymphs, the Swallowtails,
or the Pierids.
The Skippers are remarkable for the uniformity of structure in each
stage of existence. The butterflies have small wings and large bodies.
The broad head bears large eyes without hairs, but with a tuft of
curving bristles overhanging each. The antennae are hooked at the end
and widely separated at the base. Each short palpus has a large middle
joint and a small joint at the tip. The fore wings project out at the
front angle and the hind wings are folded along the inner margin.
There are six well-developed legs in both sexes. The colors are
chiefly various tones of brown, dull rather than bright, and many of
the forms resemble one another so closely that it is difficult to
separate them.
The Skipper caterpillars have stout bodies and are easily known by the
constricted neck. Most of these have the habit of making nests from
the leaves of the food plants, weaving them together with silken
threads. In a similar way each also makes a slight cocoon when it is
ready to change to a chrysalis.
The Skippers found in eastern North America are commonly grouped into
two types--the Larger Skippers and the Smaller Skippers. The
characteristics are given in the paragraph immediately following and
the one on page 278.
THE TRIBE OF THE LARGER SKIPPERS
The butterflies of this tribe have that part of the club of the
antenna, which is recurved, about as long as the thicker part below
it. As a rule, the abdomen is distinctly shorter than the hind wings.
The caterpillars are rather short and thick, and the upper part of the
head, when looked at from in front, is square or roundish rather than
tapering. The chrysalids have the tongue case attached throughout its
length and stopping short of the tips of the wing cases.
=The Silver-spotted Skipper=
_Epargyreus tityrus_
One can seldom draw hard and fast artificial lines in nature. There
are all sorts of intermediate conditions which disturb arbitrary
classifications. It might seem simple enough to say that some insects
are leaf-rollers and others are tent-makers, but as a matter of fact
in the case of the Silver-spotted Skipper we have an insect which
starts its larval life as a leaf-roller and finishes it as a
tent-maker. Its life-history is rather interesting and easily
observed, if one can find the larvae at work upon the leaves of
locusts and other trees. (_See plates, pages 272-273._)
The Silver-spotted Skipper is one of the largest butterflies of the
interesting group to which it belongs. It lays its eggs upon the upper
surface of the leaflets of locusts and other plants of the legume
family. In less than a week each egg hatches into a little caterpillar
with a very large head and a comparatively large body, tapering
rapidly toward the hind end. This little creature cuts out from one
side of the leaf a small round flap which it turns over and binds in
place by silken threads to make a home for itself. This little home
shows considerable variation in its construction but it usually has an
arched dome held in place by strands of silk running from the eaten
fragment to the surface of the leaf. It remains an occupant of this
home until after the second moult. About this time it becomes too
large for its house and deserts it to make a new one generally by
fastening together two adjacent leaves. These are attached along the
edges by silken strands in such a way as to give considerable room.
It leaves one end open as a door out of which the caterpillar crawls
to feed at night upon near-by leaves, returning to the house for
shelter during the day. They continue to use this habitation until
they are full grown as caterpillars and sometimes they change to
chrysalids within it. More commonly, however, they crawl away both
from the leafy case and the tree that bears it and find such shelter
as they can upon the ground near by. Here they spin slight silken
cocoons within which they change to chrysalids. In the more Northern
states there is but one brood a year, so these chrysalids remain in
position until early the following summer when they come forth as
butterflies. Farther south there are two broods each summer, the
second brood of butterflies appearing chiefly in August.
The Silver-spotted Skipper derives its name from the distinct silvery
spots upon the under-wing surface against a background of dark brown.
The butterflies appear in the Northern states early in June and remain
upon the wing for several weeks, being found even in August. They fly
very rapidly and are difficult to catch in an insect net except when
they are visiting flowers.
This species is widely distributed, occurring from ocean to ocean over
nearly the whole of the United States. It extends into Canada only in
the eastern part and is not found in the Northwestern states.
=The Long-tailed Skipper=
_Eudamus proteus_
This is perhaps the most easily recognized of all the Skippers found
in the United States for it is the only one that looks like a
Swallowtail. Its hind wings project backward as long, broad tails in a
way that marks the insect at once as different from anything else. It
expands nearly two inches and when the front wings are spread at right
angles, the distance from the apex of the front wing to the end of the
tail of the hind wing just about equals the expanse. The general color
is dark brown, with about eight more or less rectangular silvery spots
on each front wing.
This is distinctly a tropical species which is common along the Gulf
Coast from Mexico to Florida. It ranges north along the Atlantic Coast
to New York City and even to Connecticut. In the South Atlantic states
it is common, but toward the northern limits of its range it is very
rare.
In the West Indies this butterfly is very common and has been observed
to rest with its wings vertical, the front ones held far back between
the hind ones and the tails of the latter held at right angles to the
plane of the wings. Apparently, this curious fact was first noted by
Dr. G. B. Longstaff. Of course in museum specimens the wings have been
flattened into the same plane during the process of drying, so that
this peculiarity would not be noticed.
[Illustration: _Photograph by A. H. Verrill_ _See page 270_
Upper Surface
Lower Surface
THE SILVER-SPOTTED SKIPPER
(About twice natural size)]
[Illustration: _From a drawing by W. I. Beecroft_
_See page 270_
THE SILVER-SPOTTED SKIPPER
Caterpillar, chrysalis and adult]
=Juvenal's Dusky-wing=
_Thanaos juvenalis_
There are few trees which have so interesting a set of insects
attacking them as does the oak. It would be a simple matter to find
abundant material for a large volume by making a study of the
life-histories of the various insects that live upon or within the
various tissues of this tree. The leaves alone provide a home for a
remarkably large number of insect species scattered through a great
many orders and families. The thickened blades seem to furnish an
ideal opportunity for many larvae to get their living, and they are
particularly useful to those which need to make a winter nest.
By a little searching almost any time after the middle of June, one is
likely to find a curious caterpillar home upon some of the oak leaves.
The margin of the blade has been turned over, generally from above
downward but sometimes from below upward, and has been fastened down
to the main expanse of the blade by means of golden threads; commonly
this fastening is not continuous but is more or less intermittent, so
that the turned-over margin is likely to have an irregular border
where it joins the blade. Inside of this tubular construction a rather
unusual looking worm-like caterpillar is probably to be seen. Late in
the season it will probably be nearly an inch long, with a smooth
greenish body and a head that may be a bit brownish and more or less
marked on the sides with orange tones.
This is the larva of one of the most widely distributed
Skippers--Juvenal's Dusky-wing. The species is found from southern New
Hampshire west to the Great Plains and south to the Gulf of Mexico. In
most localities it is seldom abundant but yet is so general that it
may be found by almost every persistent collector. The wings expand
about an inch and a half and are of a dull brownish color, more or
less marked with darker and lighter spots. Toward the northern limits
of its range there is but one brood a year but farther south there are
two, although it is not improbable that some of the caterpillars of
the first brood remain unchanged throughout the season, so that the
insect is both single- and double-brooded in the same locality.
_The Yearly Cycle_
The yearly cycle in southern New Hampshire may be taken as an
illustration of the life of the species in regions where there is but
one brood. The butterflies appear in open woods and on cut-over lands
in May and June. They lay eggs upon the twigs of oak trees, one egg in
a place and generally near a leaf stem. The egg soon hatches into a
little caterpillar that crawls upon a near-by leaf and begins the
construction of its tubular nest by bending over the margin and sewing
it with golden silk. It utilizes this nest chiefly as a tent for
resting and sleeping and wanders away from it generally to another
leaf when it is ready to feed. It grows very slowly, having before it
all the weeks of summer to complete its caterpillar growth. As it gets
larger it needs a new tent and is likely to desert its early one. When
it does this some observers have noted a curious habit. It cuts loose
all the silk that binds the margin of the leaf down upon the blade so
that the flap is free to spring back to its original position. It
would be difficult to suggest an adequate explanation for this habit.
When autumn comes our caterpillar is faced with the problem of passing
through the winter successfully. It must shelter itself from birds,
spiders, predaceous beetles, and many other enemies. It must find a
means of keeping out of the reach of snow and rain, for while it can
survive a great degree of cold as long as it keeps dry, it might
easily be killed by freezing up with moisture. But the caterpillar is
able to provide against these dangers. It has apparently an abundant
supply of liquid silk to secrete from the silk glands in its head, so
it lines its tubular tent with a dense silken web that effectually
excludes enemies and moisture. It thus has on the outside of its nest
the thick oak leaf and on the inside a dense soft lining that makes a
most admirable winter protection. So it remains here throughout the
winter, the leaf commonly staying on the tree until early spring. Then
leaf, nest, and enclosed caterpillar are likely to drop to the ground
to remain until spring arrives in earnest. Just what happens then
seems to be a bit doubtful. The caterpillar changes to a chrysalis,
but whether it first works its way out of its winter nest and makes a
new and less dense covering seems not to be certainly known. Here is
another good opportunity for some careful observations.
At any rate, the caterpillar changes to a chrysalis, and late in
spring it changes again to an adult butterfly that flits about on
dusky wing for a few weeks before it dies.
=The Sleepy Dusky-wing=
_Thanaos brizo_
The appearance of this butterfly both as to size and marking is very
similar to that of Juvenal's Dusky-wing except that the white spots
are not present on the front wing of this species. The life-histories
of the two species as well as their distribution seem to be closely
parallel. The present butterflies are to be found early in summer in
the same oak barrens as the other, the blueberry blossoms being freely
visited for nectar by both species.
=Persius's Dusky-wing=
_Thanaos persius_
This is a rather small, dark brown Skipper, with a few white spots
toward the apex of the front wing, but otherwise not marked except for
a very pale transverse band which is almost obsolete. The butterfly is
found from ocean to ocean along the northern tier of states. It also
occurs in the Eastern states as far south as Florida as well as in the
states along the Pacific Coast.
The food plants of the caterpillars differ from most of those of the
other Skippers. The butterflies lay their yellowish green eggs, one in
a place, upon the leaves of willows and poplars. These soon hatch into
little caterpillars each of which cuts out a small flap along the
margin of the leaf and folds it over, fastening it in place with
silken threads. It thus forms a protecting nest within which it
remains during the day, going forth at night to a neighboring part of
the same leaf or to another leaf, and feeding upon the green surface
tissues. In this first caterpillar stage it does not eat the veins to
any extent. As it becomes larger it constructs a larger nest and feeds
more freely upon the leaf tissues. When about half grown it has the
curious habit of biting out small holes here and there in the blade so
that the leaf takes on a very unusual appearance. The presence of
these holes is generally the easiest way to find the caterpillars, for
when the holes are seen, a little searching is likely to show one the
characteristic tent-like nest.
After a few weeks the caterpillars become full grown. They then sew
themselves in for the winter, fastening all of the crevices in the
nest so securely with silken webbing that a very serviceable winter
cocoon is formed. An interesting fact is that this sewing up for the
winter is likely to take place about midsummer, the caterpillars
remaining quiet from this time until the following spring. The nests
of course fall in autumn with the leaves and the caterpillars remain
unchanged until April or May, when they transform into chrysalids to
emerge in May as butterflies. There appears to be normally but one
brood a year although there is some evidence of a partial second
brood.
=The Sooty Wing=
_Pholisora catullus_
This is one of the smallest of the blackish Skippers and may be known
by its small size, expanding less than an inch, and the series of five
white dots near the apex of the front wing, these dots being more
distinct on the under surface. The species is widely distributed,
occurring over practically the whole of the United States, except in
the states along the Canadian border from Wisconsin west--and in
several of these it is found along their southern limits.
This butterfly is of particular interest because it is one of the
comparatively few species that habitually occur in gardens and
cultivated fields. The reason for this is that the eggs are laid upon
white pigweed or lambs' quarter, the common garden pest of the genus
Chenopodium. The eggs are laid singly, generally on the upper surface,
and hatch in about five days into tiny caterpillars that make a little
shelter for themselves by cutting out the edge of a leaf and folding
over the blade, sewing it in place by a few silken threads. Here they
remain and feed upon the green pulp of the succulent leaves either
within the nest or near by outside. They remain in these cases until
the time for the first moult, when they are likely to line the inside
of the silken web before moulting. After this they make new cases for
concealment and shelter, the cases as they grow older being generally
made of two or more leaves securely bound together by silken web along
their margin. When they become full grown, they spin a silken cocoon
and change to yellowish green chrysalids from which the butterflies
emerge a little more than a week later.
This species is supposed to be double-brooded in the north. The
full-grown caterpillars of the second brood sew up their leafy cases
very carefully, making them of such thick silken webbing that they are
watertight. They remain in these coverings until the following spring,
when each changes, still within the case, into a chrysalis from which
the butterfly comes forth in April or May.
THE TRIBE OF THE SMALLER SKIPPERS
In the members of this tribe the tip beyond the club of the antenna is
short and the abdomen is long enough to extend as far as or farther
than the hind wings. The caterpillars have long and slender bodies
with the upper part of the head, when looked at from in front,
tapering rather than roundish or square. The chrysalids have the
tongue-case free at the tip and projecting beyond the tips of the
wing-cases.
=The Tawny-edged Skipper=
_Thymelicus cernes_
This is one of the commonest and most widely distributed of all our
Skippers. It is found from Nova Scotia to British Columbia, south
along the Rocky Mountains to New Mexico, Texas, and Florida. It is
apparently absent west of the Rocky Mountains and along the Gulf Coast
except in Florida. Its life-history was carefully worked out by Dr.
James Fletcher, late entomologist to the Dominion of Canada, and in
the north may be summarized thus: the butterflies come from the
hibernated chrysalids in May or June. They remain upon the wing for
several weeks so that worn specimens may be taken late in July or,
rarely, even early in August. The females lay eggs upon grass blades.
These eggs hatch about two weeks later, the larvae eating their way
out of the shells so slowly that a whole day may be taken up by the
operation. Each little caterpillar weaves a silken nest for itself, in
which it remains concealed most of the time, reaching out to feed upon
adjacent blades of grass but retiring into the nest at the least
alarm. It is a sluggish little creature and grows so slowly that in
the north it may require more than two months to become full fed as a
larva. It is then about an inch long and has the characteristic
outlines of the other Skipper larvae, with a black head and a greenish
brown body. It now spins a cocoon, possibly using its larval nest as
a basis, and some time later, before cold weather surely, it changes
to a chrysalis that winters over.
This is the story of the life of the butterfly in the more northern
parts of its range. Even in New Hampshire there seems to be at least a
partial second brood, and farther south there are probably two regular
broods with the possibility that a small percentage of the first set
of chrysalids remains unchanged until spring.
=The Roadside Skipper=
_Amblyscirtes vialis_
This little butterfly is found apparently in most parts of the United
States, as it has been collected in New England, California, Texas,
and many intermediate points. Over the northern part of its range
there is but one brood a year. In New Hampshire the butterflies appear
in May and early June and lay eggs upon the blades of various grasses.
These hatch about ten days later into slender, silk-spinning
caterpillars, each of which makes a nest for itself by sewing together
the margin of one or more grass blades. When the larvae get larger,
they make larger and denser nests with heavy linings of silken web.
After the earlier moults, the thin skin is covered with very fine
snow-white hairs, between which there is developed a curious whitish
exudation, so that the caterpillars have a flocculent appearance. When
full grown, they change to delicate green chrysalids which apparently
in the North remain until the following spring before disclosing the
butterflies. In more southern regions there are two broods each
summer.
=The Least Skipper=
_Ancyloxipha numitor_
The Least Skipper differs from the other Skippers both in structure
and habits. Most of these butterflies have thick bodies and a distinct
hook at the end of each antenna. This has a slender body and the
antennae lack the hook. Most Skippers have strong wings and show their
strength in their rapid, erratic flight. This has feeble wings that
show their weakness in their slow, straight flight. But from the fact
that it is about the smallest of all our butterflies, expanding little
more than three quarters of an inch, it deserves our interested
attention. The tawny wings are so marked with broad margins of dark
brown that they show the tawny tinge chiefly in the middle spaces.
On account of its small size and its retiring habits this little
butterfly is often overlooked by all but the most experienced
collectors. It generally flies slowly just above the grass in sunny
places in wet meadows and along the open margins of brooks and
marshes. It rests frequently upon grasses, flowers, or bushes. Mr.
Scudder noticed that when resting these butterflies have the curious
habit of "moving their antennae in a small circle, the motion of the
two alternating; that is, when one is moving in a forward direction,
the other is passing in a reverse direction." This is the sort of
observation that should challenge us all to sharper wits in watching
living butterflies. It would be strange if no others thus twirled
their feelers in their leisure moments. Who will find out?
The female butterflies at least have something to do besides sipping
the nectar of flowers or idly twirling their feelers. They must lay
their eggs and thus provide for the continuation of the species; to do
this they find suitable blades of grass on which they deposit their
tiny, half-round, smooth yellow eggs. A week or so later each egg
hatches into a dumpy little yellow caterpillar with a black head and a
body well covered with hairy bristles. This little creature is a silk
spinner and makes a home instinctively by drawing together more or
less the outer edges of a leaf blade and fastening them with
transverse bands of silk. It then feeds upon the green tissues and as
it grows larger it makes its nest more secure by thicker walls of
silken web.
When full grown as a caterpillar it changes into a slender chrysalis
generally of a grayish red color, thickly dotted with black. About ten
days later it emerges as a butterfly.
The Least Skipper is one of the most widely distributed of all
butterflies. It occurs from New England to Texas, south to Florida on
the east coast, and west to the Rocky Mountains.
THE END
GENERAL INDEX
Abdomen, 4
Acadian hair-streak, 248
Admiral, Red, 160
Aestivation, 21-22
_Agapetidae_, 214-229
_Aglais milberti_, 182
_Ajax_, 77
_Amblyscirtes vialis_, 280
American copper, 255
American tortoise-shell, 182
Anatomy of butterflies, 3-5
_Ancyloxipha numitor_, 281
Androconia, 15
Angle-wings, Synopsis of the, 190
Angle-wings, Tribe of the, 150-192
_Anoea andria_, 208
_Anosia berenice_, 235
_Anosia plexippus_, 233
Antennae, 3-4
_Anthocaris genutia_, 97
_Anthocaris olympia_, 97
Antiopa, 112-115, 171-182
Ants and caterpillar, 261
Aphids, 261
Apparatus for collectors, 51-54
_Araulis vanillae_, 115
Arctic satyr, 225
_Argynnis aphrodite_, 125
_Argynnis atlantis_, 126
_Argynnis cybele_, 122
_Argynnis diana_, 118
_Argynnis idalia_, 120
_Argynnis montinus_, 127
_Atlides halesus_, 243
Baltimore checker-spot, 135
Banded hair-streak, 246
Banded purple, 202
_Basilarchia archippus_, 195-202
_Basilarchia arthemis_, 202
_Basilarchia astyanax_, 204
_Basilarchia floridensis_, 206
Black-bordered yellow, 105
Black swallowtail, 59
Blue-eyed grayling, 215
Blue swallowtail, 65
Blues, Synopsis of the, 265
Blues, Tribe of the, 258-265
_Brenthis bellona_, 128
_Brenthis myrina_, 131
Brimstone butterfly, 98
Bronze copper, 257
Brown, Eyed, 221
Brown, Gemmed, 227
Buckeye, 188
Butterflies, Aestivation of, 21-22
Butterflies, Anatomy of, 3-5
Butterflies and Moths, Difference between, 13-14
Butterflies, Classifications of, 55
Butterflies, Collecting, 49-54
Butterflies, Coloration of, 24-35
Butterflies, feigning death, 22-23
Butterflies, General characteristics of 3-54
Butterflies, Hibernation of, 17-21
Butterflies, Migrations of, 16-17
Butterflies, Parasites of, 40-43
Butterflies, Photographing, 47-48
Butterflies, Rearing of, 43-47
Butterflies, Scents of, 15
Cabbage butterfly, Southern, 88
Cabbage butterfly, White or Imported, 83
_Callidrayas eubule_, 98
_Calosoma scrutator_, 181
_Calycopis cecrops_, 251
Camberwell beauty, _see_ Mourning-cloak
Carolina satyr, 227
Caterpillar cages, 44
Caterpillar collecting, 44
Caterpillar habits, curious, 198
Caterpillar hunter, 181
Caterpillar parasites, 260
Caterpillar to chrysalis, 8-10
Caterpillars, 5-9
_Catopsilia eubule_, _C. philea_, or _C. agarithe_, 109
_Cercyonis alope_, 215, 228
_Cercyonis pegala_, 218
Chalcid flies, 42
_Charidryas nycteis_, 141
Checker-spot, Baltimore, 135
Checker-spot, Harris's, 140
Checkered white, 88
_Chlorippe celtis_, 210
_Chlorippe clyton_, 212
Chrysalis, 8-12
Chrysalis to butterfly, 10-13
_Chrysophanus hypophlaeus_, 257
_Chrysophanus thoe_, 257
_Cinclidia harrisii_, 140
_Cissia eurytus_, 226
_Cissia sosybius_, 227
Classification of butterflies, 55
Clouded sulphur, 101
Cloudless sulphur, 98
_Colias caesonia_, 110
_Colias eurytheme_, 110
_Colias philodice_, 110
Collecting butterflies, 49-54
Color changes, 7
Color sense, Selective 32
Coloration, 24-35
Comma, 153
Common skippers, 268-282
Common wood nymph, 215
Compton tortoise, 185
Copper, The American, 255
Copper, The Bronze, 257
Coppers, Synopsis of the, 257
Coppers, Tribe of the, 252-258
Cosmopolite, 166-171
Counter-shading, 24-25
Cremaster, 8
Crescent-spots, Synopsis of the, 149
Crescent-spots, Tribe of the, 135-150
Cyanide bottle, 51
_Cyaniris ladon_, 258
_Cynthia atalanta_, 191
_Cynthia cardui_, 191
_Cynthia kuntera_, 191
Cynthia Moth, 14
Dainty sulphur, 109
Dazzling coloration, 26-29
Death-feigning, 22-23
_Debis portlandia_, 227
Diana fritillary, 118
Dog's-head butterfly, 100
Drying box, 54
Dull-eyed grayling, 228
Dusky-wing, Juvenal's, 272
Dusky-wing, Persius's, 276
Dusky-wing, Sleepy, 275
Eclipsing coloration, 26-29
Eclosion, 11
Egg-laying, 46
Emperors, Tribe of, 207-214
Encasement theory, 9
_Enodia portlandica_, 219
Envelopes for collectors, 52
_Epargyreus tityrus_, 270
_Euchloe genutia_, 97
_Euchloe olympia_, 97
_Eudamus proteus_, 271
_Eugonia J-album_, 185
_Euphydryas phaeton_, 135
_Eupsyche M-album_, 244
_Euptoieta claudia_ 116
_Eurema euterpe_, 111
_Eurema lisa_, 106
_Eurema nicippe_, 105
_Eurymus eurytheme_, 102
_Eurymus interior_, 104
_Eurymus philodice_, 101
_Euvanessa antiopa_, 191
_Everes comyntas_, 264
Exuviae, 6
Eyed brown, 221
Falcate orange-tip, 94
_Fenisequa tarquinius_, 253
Fritillaries, Synopsis of the, 133
Fritillaries, Tribe of the, 115-135
Gemmed brown, 227
Georgia satyr, 227
Giant skippers, 267-268
Giant swallowtail, 62
Goatweed emperor, 208
Gossamer-wings, 240-265
_Grapta comma_, 190
_Grapta faunus_, 190
_Grapta interrogationis_, 190
_Grapta J-album_, 192
_Grapta progne_, 191
Gray comma, 158
Gray emperor, 210
Gray hair-streak, 245
Gray-veined white, 86
Grayling, Blue-eyed, 215
Great purple hair-streak, 243
Great southern white, 90
Great spangled fritillary, 122
Green-clouded swallowtail, 67
Green comma, 159
Gulf fritillary, 115
Hair-streaks, Synopsis of the, 250
Hair-streaks, Tribe of the, 242-252
Harris's checker-spot, 140
Heliconians, 229-232
_Heliconidae_, 229-232
_Heliconius Charitonius_, 229
Heliotropism, 35-37
_Heodes hypophlaeus_, 255
_Hesperiidae_, 268-282
_Hesperioidea_, 55, 266-282
Hibernation, 17-21
Honey-dew, 261
Hop merchant, 153
_Hypatus bachmani_, 236
Ichneumon flies, 41-42
Imago, 10
Imported cabbage butterfly, 83
_Iphiclides ajax_, 76
_Junonia coenia_, 188
Juvenal's dusky-wing, 272
Killing bottle, 51
_Laertias philenor_, 65
Larger Skippers, Tribe of the, 269-278
Least purple hair-streak, 251
Least skipper, 281
_Lepidoptera_, _see_ Butterflies
_Libytheidae_, 236-239
_Limenitis arthemis_, 206
_Limenitis astyanax_, 207
_Limenitis disippus_, 207
List observations, 37-40
Little sulphur, 106
Little wood nymph, 228
Little wood satyr, 226
Locusts, Coloration of, 29
Long-beaks, The, 236-239
Long-tailed skipper, 271
_Lycaena comyntas_, 265
_Lycaena ladon_, 265
_Lycaena lygdamus_, 265
_Lycaena scudderi_, 265
_Lycaenidae_, 240-265
_Lymnadidae_, 232-236
_Marcellus_, 77
Maritime grayli
Meadow-browns, The, 214-229
Meadow fritillary, 128
_Meganostoma caesonia_, 100
_Megathymidae_, 267-268
_Megathymus yuccae_, 267
_Melitaea harrisii_, _M. phaeton_, _M. nycteis_, _or_ _M. tharos_, 149
Metal-marks, The, 239-240
Microgaster, 42
Migrations, 16-17
Milkweed butterflies, The, 232-236
Mimicry, 34-35
_Mitoura damon_, 249
Monarch, The, 12, 233
Moths, 13-14
Moulting, 6-7
Mountain silver-spot, 126
Mourning-cloak, 112-115, 171-182
_Nathalis iole_, 109
_Neonympha canthus_, 227
_Neonympha eurytus_, 228
_Neonympha gemma_, 227
_Neonympha phocion_, 227
Net, Butterfly, 51
Nettle butterfly, 160
_Nomiades lygdamus_, 265
_Nymphalidae_, 111, 214
Nymphs, The, 111, 214
Odors, _see_ Scents of butterflies
_Oeneis norna jutta_, 225
_Oeneis norna semidea_, 222
Olive hair-streak, 249
Olympian orange-tip, 96
"Orange dogs", 63
Orange sulphur, 102
Orange-tips, Synopsis of the, 97
Orange-tips, Tribe of the, 92-97
Orientation, _see_ Heliotropism
Painted beauty, 163
Painted lady, 166-171
Palamedes swallowtail, 76
Palpi, 4
_Papilio asterias_, 81
_Papilio brevicauda_, 75
_Papilio cresphontes_, 80
_Papilio glaucus_, 72
_Papilio palamedes_, 76
_Papilio philenor_, 81
_Papilio polyxenes_, 59
_Papilio thoas_, 62
_Papilio troilus_, 67
_Papilionidae_, 57-81
_Papilionoidea_, 55, 265
Parasites, 40-43
Parasites of the Mourning-cloak, 177
Parnassians, 56-57
_Parnassiidae_, 56-57
Pearl crescent, 143
Pearly eye, 219
Persius's dusky-wing, 276
_Pholisora catullus_, 277
Photographing butterflies, 47-48
_Phyciodes nycteis_, 149
_Phyciodes tharos_, 143
_Pieridae_, 82-115
_Pieris napi_, 86
_Pieris phileta_, 92
_Pieris protodice_, 91
_Pieris rapae_, 83
Pink-edged sulphur, 104
Pins for collectors, 53
_Polygonia comma_, 153
_Polygonia faunus_, 159
_Polygonia interrogationis_, 150
_Polygonia progne_, 158
Polygonias, Synopsis of, 190
_Pontia monuste_, 90
_Pontia protodice_, 88
Protective coloration, _see_ Coloration
Purple hair-streak, Great, 243
Purple hair-streak, Least, 251
Purples, Banded and Red-spotted, 202-206
_Pyrameis atalanta_, 191
_Pyrameis cardui_, 191
_Pyrameis huntera_, 191
_Pyrrhanea andria_, 214
Queen, The, 235
Rearing butterflies, 43-47
Red Admiral, 160
Red-horns, Tribe of the, 97-115
Red-spotted purple, 204
Regal fritillary, 120
Riker mounts, 54
_Riodinidae_, 239-240
Roadside skipper, 280
_Rusticus scudderi_, 263
Satyr, Arctic, 225
Satyr, Little wood, 226
_Satyrodes canthus_, 221
Satyrs, The, 214-229
Satyrs, Georgia and Carolina, 227
Scents of butterflies, 15
Scudder's blue, 263
Selective color sense, 32-33
Setting board, 52-53
Shadow observations, 37-40
Short-tailed papilio, 75
Silver-bordered fritillary, 131
Silver crescent, 141
Silver-spot fritillary, 125
Silver-spotted skipper, 270
Silvery blue, 265
Skippers, 55, 266-282
Skippers, Common, 268-282
Skippers, Tribe of the larger, 269-278
Skippers, Tribe of the smaller, 278-282
Sleepy dusky-wing, 275
Smaller skippers, Tribe of the, 278-282
Snout butterflies, The, 236-239
Sooty wing, The, 277
Southern cabbage butterfly, 88
Southern wood nymph, 218
Sovereigns, Synopsis of the, 206
Sovereigns, Tribe of the, 192-207
Spring azure, 258
Striped hair-streak, 247
Sulphur butterflies, 98-100, 101-105, 106-109
Swallowtails, 57-81
Swallowtails, Synopsis of, 80
_Synchloe genutia_, 94
_Synchloe olympia_, 96
Tachina flies, 42-43
Tailed blue, 264
Tawny-edged skipper, 279
Tawny emperor, 212
_Telamonides_, 77
_Terias lisa_, 110
_Terias nicippe_, 110
_Thanaos brizo_, 275
_Thanaos juvenalis_, 272
_Thanaos persius_, 276
_Thecla acadica_, 248
_Thecla calanus_, 246
_Thecla cecrops_, 251
_Thecla damon_, 252
_Thecla halesus_, 250
_Thecla liparops_, 247
_Thecla M-album_, 251
_Thecla melinus_, 251
Thistle butterfly, 166-171
Thorax, 4
_Thymelicus cernes_, 279
Tiger swallowtail, 72
Tortoise-shell, American, 182
Transformations, 5-13
_Uranotes melinus_, 245
_Vanessa antiopa_, 171-182
_Vanessa atalanta_, 160
_Vanessa cardui_, 166-171
_Vanessa coenia_, 192
_Vanessa huntera_, 163
_Vanessa J-album_, 192
_Vanessa milberti_, 191
Vanessids, Synopsis of, 191
Variegated fritillary, 116
Vicereine, 206
Viceroy, 195-202
Violet-tip, 150
Wanderer, The, 253
Warning coloration, 33-34
Weismann's theory, 10
White cabbage butterfly, 83
White J butterfly, 185
White M hair-streak, 244
White Mountain butterfly, 222
White Mountain fritillary, 127
Whites, Synopsis of the, 91
Whites, Tribe of the, 82-92
Wing expansion, 12-13
Wood nymph, Little, 228
Wood nymphs, 215-218
_Xanthidia lisa_, 110
_Xanthidia nicippe_, 110
Yellow edge, _see_ Mourning-cloak
Yellows, Synopsis of the, 109
Yellows, Tribe of the, 97-115
Yucca-borer skipper, 267
Zebra butterfly, 229
Zebra swallowtail, 76
_Zerene caesonia_, 110
Transcriber's Notes
Except for the list of corrections below and minor corrections
(deletion or addition of periods or commas; application of styling
to headers to match comparable divisions; etc.), the text presented
is that contained in the original printed version. Any unique
grammatical usage has been retained. Some of the illustrations were
moved so that paragraphs were not split. Also, some of the text in
the illustration blocks were rearranged so that they more closely
matched each other.
Although in there are chacters available for some common fractions
diplayed in this text (ex., 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4), other fractions (ex., 1/3;
1/5, etc.) are not available. Therefore, it was decided to display
them all in the format #/#. In the case of mixed fractions, they are
displayed as # #/# (ex., 3 1/2).
Typographical Corrections
Page Correction
===== ====================
146 similiar => similar
156 harrisi => harrisii
194 eing => being
262 analagous => analogous
284 Heleconidae => Heliconidae
283 c. philea => C. philea
283 c. agarithe => C. agarithe
" Cercyonis alope 215-228 => 215, 228
285 Monarch, The 12-223 => 12, 233
" Nymphalidae 111-214 => 111, 214
" Nymphs, The 111-214 => 111, 214
" Papilionoidea 55-265 => 55, 265
Emphasis Notation
_Text_ - Italic
=Text= - Bold
End of Project Gutenberg's Butterflies Worth Knowing, by Clarence M. Weed