White Checkered-Skipper
Pyrgus albescens
Photo taken at Picacho Peak, Pinal Co., Arizona, USA. October 2007. Here it is taking nectar from one of the best butterfly plants in the Sonoran Desert, Sweet Bush (Bebbia juncea). The reverse side is shown in the photo at right, taken in Phoenix, Arizona on 23 May 2015.
Without microscopic examination this butterfly cannot be reliably distinguished from its cousin, Pyrgus communis. However, in the lower elevations of the Sonoran Desert, this species, P. albescens, predominates and is found on the wing through much of the year. Wingspan is about 22 mm to 30 mm. They readily come flowers or alight on the soil. The caterpillar should be looked for on various plants in the Mallow Family.
