Long-tailed skipper

Description:

From head to tail the Long-tailed skipper has an amazing transitions of colors (green to blue to brown). Wings are mostly brown with cream markings.

Habitat:

Spotted nectaring on wildflowers near the Arkansas river.

Notes:

The caterpillar of this skipper is a common pest of crops, especially beans, in the southern United States. For this reason, it is sometimes called the bean leafroller in that area. The caterpillars are also known to attack ornamental plants in the legume family such as wisteria and butterfly peas. The caterpillars feed on leaves and then roll the leaves around themselves, lining the cavity with silk, to pupate. The adults feed on nectar from flowers. Natural enemies of this species include wasp and fly parasitoids, and the Florida predatory stink bug, (Euthyrhynchus floridanus). In the fall, a nuclear polyhedrosis virus killed up to 50% of the larvae.-Wikipedia.