Hollyhock skipper

Carcharodus alceae alceae

A commoner of the skippers with a wingspan of 26-34 mm, characteristically dark brown and reddish-pink with a purplish to olive-green sheen but with less white markings compared to other species. Also called the “mallow skipper,” the hollyhock lives in many types of habitats, including coasts, farmland, roadsides, riversides, scrub, grassland, stony slopes, and mountainsides. Host plants are mainly members of the mallow family (Malvaceae), hence the name, and include marshmallow (Althaea officinalis), common mallow (Malva sylvestris), dwarf mallow (M. neglecta), treemallows (Lavatera spp.), hibiscus (Hibiscus spp.), as well as Jerusalem croton (Chrozophora hierosolymitana). It flies April through November in several broods, and has a habit of lowering and fanning out wings like a “solar panel.”

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