Sachem

Sachem (Atalopedes campestris). A small grass skipper butterfly with a wingspan of just 1.25 to 1.5 inches. Skippers (Hesperiidae) are a family of butterflies that have the characteristics of both butterflies and moths.

Host plants of Sachem caterpillars are many grasses such as Bermuda Grass, Hairy Crabgrass, Red Fescue, St. Augustine Grass, Indian Goosegrass and Seashore Saltgrass. The Sachem is just one of so many skippers that I’m just beginning to get familiar with.

Published by

Brenda Clements Jones

Brenda is a certified Virginia Master Naturalist, a Habitat Defender for Shenandoah National Park, and a devoted fan of Mother Nature. She lives in a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Shenandoah National Park, and hikes up to the higher elevations of her mountain often to see what nature is up to. Her constant hiking companion is a camera that captures nature as it unfolds through the seasons. It’s her goal to share the natural world around her through her photographs.