Palmetto Skipper 
Euphyes arpa

Palmetto Skipper, formerly called “Arpa Skipper,” was first described from southeast Georgia around 1830 from a watercolor drawing by John Abbot who did much of his collecting in Burke and Screven Counties. In The Butterflies of Georgia (Harris, 1972), with no records since 1830 from Georgia, Harris wrote, “It is not unlikely that E. arpa is still present in Georgia.” He was right. On March 18, 2002, Marc Minno found one on Ft. Stewart in Liberty County. Then, on August 29, 2009, I found one in Camden County. More recently, additional sites have been discovered where Palmetto Skipper can be seen in good numbers. Because its host plant, Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens), is found in all southeast Georgia counties and southwestward along the Florida line, it is almost certain that the species is more widespread than we currently know. Its habitat is open savanna and sandhills with abundant palmetto. The flight times are May (May 21 in Liberty County) and late August to October (August 25- October 18 in McIntosh County). It congregates at nectar sites and is especially fond of Vanilla Plant (Carphephorus odoratissimus). Early Date: May 21 (Liberty County); Late Date: October 18 (McIntosh County). Conservation Status: Secure.