Fiery Skipper - hylephila phyleus
The Fiery Skipper larvae eats bermuda grass, creeping bentgrass, and saint augustine grass. You might think this bad news if you have a lawn with this type of grass and lots of Fiery Skippers about. But if you have a cool season grass such as tall fescue that is competing with bermuda grass this sounds like a pretty good bargain. Beautiful butterflies and less bermuda to try to eradicate how could that be bad? In my gardens the Fiery Skippers have not ever been the match for the bermuda nor even come close. Beneficial nematodes or bacteria thuriginensis can reduce their numbers if this is a problem. Adult Fiery Skippers love the lavender in our gardens. We usually have clouds of these active butterflies from mid-Spring through the first hard frost. These lavenders are good choices to encourage the Fiery Skipper to hang out in your garden. Lavandula allardii Meerlo, Lavandula grosso, Lavandula heterophylla, Lavandula provence, Lavandula pinnata buchii, Lavandula multifida.
Fiery Skipper sipping nectar on Lavandula Provence. High resolution photos are part of our garden image collection.
More Plants to attract Skippers to your garden
Apocynum cannabinum
Aster chilensis * Pacific Aster, California Aster
Aster Chilensis Purple Haze * Purple Haze California Aster, Purple Haze Pacific Aster
Dalea frutescens * Black Dalea
Justicia leonardii * Orange Justicia
Lantana Luscious Citrus Blend
Lantana variegata Lemon Swirl
Lavandula angustifolia Hidcote * Hidcote English Lavender
Lavandula stoechas Javelin Forte White * Javelin Forte White Spanish Lavender
Dalea lutea * Yellow Dalea
Santolina chamaecyparissus
Santolina Lemon Queen
Santolina virens
Symphyotrichum chilense * Pacific Aster, California Aster
Tithonia rotundifolia * Mexican Sunflower