Putting a bug in your ear: a butterfly we may soon see in southern NH

[George DeWolf]

Hi Everyone,

While on iNaturalist today doing some skipper research, I came across a species that should be added to the indices I recently created for the Swift and Kaufman guides—the Hoary Edge. It’s a dicot skipper similar in appearance to the Silver-spotted Skipper, but with a broad white outer margin on the underside of the hindwing.

One individual was observed in 2023 in Groton, MA, roughly eight miles (as the crow flies) from the New Hampshire border, and there are now 47 research-grade observations in Massachusetts. It’s quite possible the species has already been observed in New Hampshire and recorded somewhere in the historical record. As I noted earlier, my intent with these indices is not only to support those who focus their searches within New Hampshire, but also to include species that haven’t yet been recorded on iNaturalist but may well appear in the near future.

You might find it in open, somewhat dry habitats—old fields, meadows, powerline cuts, and other disturbed areas where tick-trefoils (Desmodium spp.), its host plants, occur. It tends to stay low and can be easy to overlook unless flushed, when it makes short, quick flights. Based on observations in Massachusetts, we’re most likely to observe it between mid-June and early July.

In any case, I’ve included this species in the latest version of the indices (attached), and I wanted to take this opportunity to encourage those of you who frequent southern New Hampshire with a camera to keep an eye out for it.

George