Clouded Skipper vs Large Copper Butterfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Clouded Skipper Large Copper Butterfly
Scientific Name Lerema accius Lycaena dispar
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Hesperiidae Lycaenidae
Size 32-44 mm wingspan 33-40 mm wingspan
Habitat Underground Wetlands
Diet Nectar Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions Southeastern United States from Texas to Virginia Europe, Asia
Conservation Least Concern Near Threatened

Clouded Skipper

A dark brown skipper with small glassy white spots on its forewings. It is one of the most common grass skippers in the southeastern United States.

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Did You Know?

Unlike most skippers, it prefers shaded habitats and is frequently found in wooded areas rather than open fields.

Large Copper Butterfly

Once widespread across European wetlands, the English subspecies went extinct in the 1850s. Remaining populations are declining due to drainage of fens and marshes.

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Did You Know?

The English subspecies of the large copper was one of the first British butterflies to go extinct — driven to extinction by drainage of the East Anglian fens in the 1850s.