Skipper Butterfly vs Buff-tip

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Skipper Butterfly Buff-tip
Scientific Name Epargyreus clarus Phalera bucephala
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Hesperiidae Notodontidae
Size 44-67 mm wingspan 55-68 mm wingspan
Habitat Farmland Underground
Diet Nectar Feeders Herbivores
Regions North America Europe, temperate Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Skipper Butterfly

A stout-bodied butterfly with hooked antennae, brown wings with golden spots on the forewing, and a distinctive silver patch on the hindwing underside. It has a rapid, darting flight.

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Did You Know?

The caterpillar builds a silk-lined leaf shelter and can eject its droppings up to 150 centimeters away to avoid attracting parasitic wasps.

Buff-tip

A moth that mimics a broken birch twig with remarkable precision when at rest. Its silvery-grey wings end in a buff-coloured patch resembling exposed wood.

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Did You Know?

Caterpillars feed communally in large groups and can completely defoliate small trees.