1

Common Native Pollinators of Lancaster County

This list of pollinators is non comprehensive, particularly with regard to butterflies, though the links provided will take you to fully comprehensive lists of pollinators native to the Lancaster area.

Hummingbirds:

Ruby Throated Hummingbird:

The aptly named ruby throated hummingbird is native to the eastern united states throughout the summer, though eventually migrating toward central america for the winter months. It favors tube shaped flowers and is readily attracted to feeders. Its native habitat is mostly along forest margins. It is also the only hummingbird that is truly native to the eastern United States.

Bees:

Common Eastern Bumble Bee ­ Bombus Impatiens ​

This bumblebee has a very broad native range throughout eastern north america. It is highly versatile in terms of habitat, ranging from highly urban habitats, to agricultural, to rural, undeveloped habitats. It subsists on a very large variety of flowers for nectar and is typically out from march through november, outlasting many other regional bees.

2

Tri Colored Bumble Bee ­ Bombus Ternarius ​

As implied by the name, this bee is black with stripes of orange and pale yellow through its thorax. It is native throughout eastern north america, and sources most of its food from wild roses, goldenrods, and a variety of plants from the vaccinium family, including blueberry and ​ ​ huckleberry blossoms.

Mason Bee ­ Osmia Lignaria and Osmia Ribifloris ​

Mason Bees are a large family of bees native throughout the world, however the two listed species are found exclusively in North America. These blue­black, metallically colored bees are solitary and do not form the typical colonies of honey or bumble bees. These bees are specifically spring pollinators and are attracted to collections of round holes for nesting. Simple Mason bee nests can be made using paper straws or drilled pieces of wood and tend to pollinate flowers closest to them.

Eastern Carpenter Bee ­ Xylocopa Virginica ​

Native to the eastern United States and Canada, the eastern carpenter bee is similar in appearance to the bumble bee, though it has an exposed, black, metallic thorax and head. Like the Mason bee, it too does not form colonies with a queen though they do frequently form small communities. They have a long foraging season and are most attracted to large showy flowers. 3

Butterflies: ​

Silver­spotted Skipper ­ Epargyreus Clarus ​

This small brown butterfly with characteristic silver band on its back wings is most attracted to blue, red, pink, and purple flowers, rarely yellow or cream. It uses a variety of host plants mostly in the legume family including black locust, honey locust, and false indigo. It is present mostly from May to September.

Hoary Edge Skipper ­ Achalarus Lycioides ​

The Hoary Edge is dark brown in color with a transparent gold band across its top wing. It is mainly hosted by beggars ticks though occasionally by false indigo and bush clover. As an adult it obtains most of its food from New Jersey Tea, buttonbush, dogbane, and common milkweed.

Southern Cloudywing ­ Thorybes Bathyllus ​

The southern cloudywing is brown in color with tan ridging and a line of transparent light brown spots. It is hosted by many plants in the bean family including fuzzy bean, common bean, beggar’s ticks, and bush clover. As adults they are most attracted to blue, white, purple, or pink flowers including common milkweed and dogbane. 4

Hayhurst’s Scallopwing ­ Staphylus Hayhurstii ​

Hayhurst’s scallopwing is dark brown in color with a few transparent white dots and does infact have scalloped wing edges. It’s main caterpillar host is the lambsquarters though is occasionally hosted by the chaff flower. Adults obtain nectar from dogbane, spearmint, clover, cucumber, marigold, and wild marjoram.

Dreamy Duskywing ­ Erynnis Icelus ​

Tan to soft brownin color, the wings of the Dreamy Duskywing are covered in silver colored scales with bands of dark brown spots. Its host plants are typically willows, poplars, aspens, and occasionally birches. In adulthood they source their food from blueberry, strawberry, blackberry, dogbane, Labrador Tea, New Jersey Tea, purple vetch, and Lupin.

Sleepy Duskywing ­ Erynnis Icelus ​

The Sleepy Duskywing is light brown in color with two bands of grey spots across its forewings. It’s host plant is the scrub oak. As an adult it sources nectar from azaleas, wild blueberry and blackberry, and dandelions.

5

Juvenal’s Duskywing ­ Erynnis Juvenalis ​

The Juvenal’s Duskywing is dark brown in color with a single stripe of transparent grey spots across its forewing with some indiscriminate brown markings and grey flecks. It’s caterpillars are hosted by tree and scrub oaks, and in adulthood is attracted to winter cress, dandelion, ​ wild plum, wisteria, blueberry, Carolina vetch, redbud, and lilac.

Horace’s Duskywing ­ Erynnis Horatius ​

Horace’s Duskywing is light brown with a random assortment of dark brown patches and two small clusters of transparent grey spots on either forewing. It is hosted by red and white oaks as a caterpillar. In adulthood it is attracted to dogbane, goldenrod, button bush and peppermint.

Mottled Duskywing ­ Erynnis Martialis ​

The Mottled Duskywing is fittingly a mottled brown in appearance resulting from bands of dark and light brown spots. It’s caterpillar hosts are red root and New Jersey Tea. The adults are attracted to an assortment of flowers including bush houstonia, ​ gromwell, hoary vervain. 6

Wild Indigo Duskywing ­ Erynnis Baptisiae ​

The wild indigo duskywing transitions from dark to light brown toward the edges of its wings. As implied by its common name, it is hosted by wild indigo as well as lupin, and crown vetch. In adulthood, they source their nectar from sunflowers, dogbane, clover, and a large variety of other flowers.

Columbine Duskywing ­ Erynnis Lucilius ​

The columbine duskywing is similar in patterning to horace’s duskywing however a much darker brown in color with two rows of tan spots across the edges of its back wings. It is hosted by wild columbines. The adults utilize nectar from most types of flowers.

Grizzled Skipper ­ Pyrgus Centaureae ​

The grizzled skipper is dark brown with square­ish white checks, particularly prominent along its fringes. Its larvae are hosted by many plants in the rose family including wild strawberries, cinquefoil and cloudberry. In adulthood it is similarly attracted to low growing plants including blueberry, strawberry, and cinquefoil. 7

Common Checkered­Skipper ­ Pyrgus Communis ​

The common checkered skipper has similar patterning to the grizzled skipper, however it is black with a blue­grey body, and its white checks tend to be larger. Its host plants include velvetleaf, hollyhock, and several varieties of mallows. It obtains nectar from a variety of flowers but is highly attracted to white composites.

Common Sootywing ­ Pholisora Catullus ​

The common sootywing is glossy black in color with clusters of small white spots on the outer portions of its forewings. Its larval host plants are lambsquarters, cockcomb, and amaranths. In adulthood they obtain nectar from many flowers including dogbane, cucumbers, melons, peppermint, milkweed, among many others.

Swarthy Skipper ­ Nastra Iherminier ​

The Swarthy Skipper is dark brown with a tan fringe on the top half of its wings, and is yellow­brown on the bottom. Its caterpillars are hosted by little bluestems. The adults are attracted to low growing flowers including purple vetch, new jersey tea, and peppermint.

8

Least Skipper ­ Amcyloxypha Numitor ​

The least skipper’s wings are orange surrounded by a wide black ring with orange­yellow along the edge. It’s caterpillars live on grasses such are marsh milled and rice cutgrass. In adulthood they are attracted to low­lying flowering plants such as white clover, chickory, white sorel, and pickerelweed.

Zebra Swallowtail ­ Eurytides Marcellus ​

The Zebra Swallowtail has alternating stripes of white and black across its wings with long tail extending from its back wings. Swallowtail caterpillars are hosted by the common pawpaw, and as adults they obtain nectar from a variety of plants including blueberry, blackberry, lilac, redbud, viper\'s bugloss, verbena, dogbane, and common milkweed.

Appalachian Brown ­ Satyrodes Appalachia ​

The appalachian brown is a light tan color with darker streaks of brown across its wings and a line of black and white eye spots across fore and back wings. It is hosted by members of the sedge family. In adulthood they utilize sap and other non floral resources.

9

Hackberry Butterfly ­ Asterocampa Celtis ​

The hackberry butterfly’s wings are orange­brown with black tips on its fore wings and a scattering of white spots as well a single eyespot on the forewing and a row of four across the back wing. It is hosted by both hackberries and sugarberries, and as an adult it utilizes sap and rotting fruit as a source of food.

Spicebush Swallowtail ­ Papilio Troilus ​

Mostly a dark, metallic black, the spicebush swallowtail has a scattering of blue across its hind wing and white spots along its edges. The underside has a distinctive row of orange spots. It is hosted by spicebush as well as sweetbay and red bay, and obtains nectar from dogbane, milkweed, azalea mimosa, and sweet pepperbush.

Red Admiral ­ Vanessa Atalanta ​

Mostly black with white spots on the wing tips and a vivid strip of orange across the middle of the forewing and long the bottom edge of the back wing, the Red Admiral is hosted by most plants in the nettle family. Adults typically obtain food from sap flows and rotting 10

fruit, and only occasionally from nectar. Monarch Butterfly ­ Danaus Plexippus ​

The monarch’s characteristic orange wings are bisected with veins of black and rimmed with black and rows of white spots. The monarch caterpillar is exclusively hosted by milkweeds, however in adulthood can obtain nectar from a variety of flowers including lilacs, blazingstars, goldenrods, thistles, sunflowers, and red clover.

Queen Butterfly ­ Danaus Gilippus ​

Similar in appearance to the Monarch, the queen butterfly is of a darker chestnut color and lacks the black veins. It does have the black border with two rows of white spots. It is hosted by the milkweeds, and as an adult obtains nectar from flowers including milkweed, frog fruit, and shepherd's needle.

Virginia White ­ Pieris Virginiensis ​

Characteristically a pale translucent white color, the virginia white butterfly is hosted by toothworts, and in adulthood obtains nectar from primarily toothwort, spring beauty, and violets among others.

11

Appalachian Azure ­ Celastrina neglectamajor ​

The upper side of the Appalachian Azure wing is a sky blue, while the underside is chalky with small dispersed black flecks. It is hosted by bugbane, and obtains nectar from a wide variety of native flowers.

Eastern Tailed Blue ­ Cupido Comyntas ​

The eastern tailed blue butterfly is iridescent blue in color rimmed in black with pale blue edges. They have short thin tails extending from their back wings. They are hosted by several species of clover, alfalfa, vetch, and wild pea. In adulthood they are attracted to low lying, open flowers such as strawberries and asters.

Clouded Sulphur ­ Colias Philodice ​

A soft to vivid yellow in color, the Clouded Sulphur’s wings are edged in black with a single black spot in the middle of each forewing and orange spots on the back wing. Caterpillars are hosted by members of the pea family, and utilize a 12

variety of flowers for nectar in adulthood.

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail ­ Papilio Glaucus ​

Typically a soft yellow with distinctive tiger stripes across the forewing edged in black with yellow patches. Females can be all black with blue coloring across the back wings. The eastern tiger swallowtail is hosted by wild cherry, sweetbay magnolia, and various other tree leaves. Adults are highly attracted to milkweed and Joe­Pyed weed.

Giant Swallowtail ­ Papilio Cresphontes ​

Mostly black in color, the Giant Swallowtail has a strip of soft yellow spots spanning both forewings and a second strip diagonal from the back to the forewings. It is hosted by herbs in the citrus family, and as an adult obtains nectar from a variety of highly fragrant flowers.

Black Swallowtail ­ Papilio Polyxenes ​

Mostly black in color with a row of blue flecks on the back wing and yellow spots on the outermost edge. Males have a defined band of yellow across its wings; females have only small yellow spots. They are hosted by the parsley family including queen anne's lace 13

and carrots. Adults get nectar from thistles, milkweed, and red clover.

NOTE: While the list of bees and hummingbirds includes all native species to Lancaster ​ County, the list of butterflies is not fully comprehensive. Instead we have listed the most common and most distinctive butterflies, however you can find the Comprehensive list of Pennsylvania’s butterflies here, or at the following address: ​ ​

http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/checklists?species_type=0&tid=2516