Species Polites mardon - Mardon Skipper - Hodges#4038

4038

P. m. mardon (W. H. Edwards), 1881.

P. m. klamathensis Mattoon, J. Emmel, & T. Emmel, 1998.

Ventral wings are light to dark brown with creamy to white rectangular spots. Dorsal wings have dark borders. The male exhibits an orange leading edge of the forewing with a short black stigma that projects basally as a foot at the trailing edge. Ventral apiculus of the antennal club may be yellow to reddish orange.

Similar species are Sonora skipper (Polites sonora) and Woodland skipper (Ochlodes sylvanoides).

Western Washington and western Oregon and northwestern California.

Prairies and grasslands.

Late Spring and early summer.

Larvae: fescue, oatgrass and other grasses.

Adults: nectar various flowers such as violets, blue-eyed grass, lupines.

Adults emerge from chrysalis in late Spring to early summer. Larvae eat a variety of grasses then overwinter and pupate during early Spring.

Endangered species. Loss of habitat a primary factor.

Butterflies of America http://butterfliesofamerica.com/t/Polites_mardon_a.htm

The Xerces Society http://www.xerces.org/mardon-skipper/

Mardon Skipper fact sheet https://www.fws.gov/wafwo/species/Fact%20sheets/MardonSkpper_factsheet.pdf