Diet

• Adults feed on nectar from a wide variety of small flowers, particularly white-flowered composites such as fleabane, asters, beggar-ticks, and shepherd's needles.

• Caterpillars feed primarily on plants in the mallow family (Malvaceae).

• Caterpillars construct small shelters by folding or tying leaves together, where they feed and rest.

Range

• The Common Checkered-Skipper has a broad distribution across North America, Mexico, and parts of Central America, with its range extending far north into Canada.

• Guerrero is near the southern portion of its distribution, although it is much more characteristic of temperate and seasonally dry environments farther north.

• In the Zihua area, it would be considered an uncommon to occasional butterfly, most likely encountered in open, disturbed areas rather than dense tropical forest.

Habitat

• It favors open, sunny habitats with low vegetation and some bare ground, including fields, roadsides, pastures, meadows, vacant lots, gardens, trails, and woodland openings.

• Areas supporting mallow plants can be particularly productive.

• Males often patrol low over vegetation, especially during warm afternoon periods, and may repeatedly return to prominent perches.

Description

• A small to medium-sized spread-wing skipper with a wingspan of approximately 25–38 mm.

• Males are generally blue-gray to gray-brown above, while females tend to be darker, often appearing nearly blackish.

• Both sexes have conspicuous white spots forming broad median bands across the forewings and hindwings.

• The underside is generally dull whitish to gray with darker gray or olive bands and spots. The hindwing has relatively small marginal spots compared with the larger spots immediately inside them.

• The checkered wing pattern gives the species its common name, but its appearance can vary considerably with sex, wear, and geographic origin.