The Arctic skipper has a wingspan of 1 to 1.25 inches (2.5-3.2 cm). The uppersides of its wings are dark brown with large orange spots and patches. The underside of its wings is tan to dark brown with white to cream colored spots edged in dark brown.
The Arctic skipper is found in moist meadows, bogs, grassy forest openings, and along stream edges.
The Arctic skipper caterpillar eats a variety of grasses, including purple reedgrass. The adult Arctic skipper eats nectar from flowers, including wild iris and Jacob’s ladder.
The female Arctic skipper lays single eggs on the leaves of a host grass plant from May to July. The eggs hatch in around 10 days. The larvae bind together leaves from the host plant with silk to make a shelter.
The Arctic skipper overwinters encased in its leaf home. When it emerges in the spring, it may rest for up to a week before pupating*. It emerges as a butterfly 5-6 weeks after pupating.
*A caterpillar pupates and becomes a pupa when it changes into a resting stage before turning into a butterfly.
Arctic skippers are active during the day. Male butterflies guard their territory, often choosing sunny, sheltered spots in clearings where they wait for females to pass by.
In Great Britain, the Arctic skipper is known as the chequered skipper. It was once a common species, but now it is only found in a small part of western Scotland.
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The Arctic skipper is found in New Hampshire.
In North America, the Arctic skipper is found from central Alaska south to central California, in the Rocky Mountain region south to Wyoming, in the Great Lakes states, and in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New England.
The Arctic skipper is also found in Europe and Asia.
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