My Yard ~ Lifecycle of the Brazilian Skipper

The Brazilian Skipper is a butterfly that migrates up from the South of the USA usually in August.  It doesn't come every year and has only been documented as seen about a dozen times in a handful of years until this year.  First seen on May 20 and again on May 27 about 2 miles apart we have no way of knowing if it the same butterfly or 2 different butterflies.  Since then, I have seen the Brazilian Skipper in my yard where it has laid eggs on my cannas.  Those eggs have hatched, eaten until time to go into a chrysalis and eventually hatched into a new Brazilian Skipper.  This skipper is considered a pest by many because it consumes a lot of canna leaves on it's route to becoming a skipper. The first skipper seen in my yard was 8/10/18 with the first caterpillars about a week later.  Successful birth of the Brazilian Skipper occurred on Sept 7, 2018.

Brazilian Skipper

Brazilian Skipper eggs

Close-up of BS eggs

8/18/18 ~ Brazilian Skipper caterpillars

8/18/18 ~ Enclosures they make to stay in during the daytime as they feed at night

Growing larger

I peeked in an enclosure so the caterpillar is making a new one to hide in until evening.

8/29/18 ~ Starting to turn into a chrysalis

8/30/18 ~ Now, it's a chrysalis

9/6/18 ~ Shouldn't be long now as it's changing colors.

9/7/18 ~ Early the next morning I have a newly born Brazilian Skipper.

Isn't it cool?  (picture by Harvey T)

a spent chrysalis.