Species Ochlodes sylvanoides - Woodland Skipper - Hodges#4054

4054

six named subspecies, but only two are found in Canada: the nominate subspecies sylvanoides, in British Columbia and southwestern Alberta, and subspecies napa, which is slightly larger and lighter beneath, on the Prairies

wingspan 22-32 mm

Adult: both sexes are tawny orange, with dark borders extending into the ground colour between the veins. The males have a black stigma and a dark brown patch just beyond the end of it. In females the borders are a little wider and darker, and there are two dark patches in the area of the male stigma. The underside is highly variable, from yellowish to orange brown, with the medial band of spots yellowish and distinct.

Larva: pale green, with a dark dorsal line and yellowish lateral line, or yellowish with seven blackish lines. The head is cream with black on each side and a black stripe on the front.

[both descriptions from Butterflies of Canada]

western United States (east to North Dakota and New Mexico) and southwestern Canada (BC to Saskatchewan)

every kind of open habitat, including chaparral, sagebrush, woodland clearings, gardens, and small streams

adults fly from July to October in the south; June to September in the north

larvae feed on many species of grasses, including Bermuda Grass (Cynodon dactylon), canary grass (Phalaris spp.), wildrye (Elymus spp.), and wheatgrass (Agropyron spp.)

First-stage caterpillars hibernate, complete their feeding the next spring, diapause in the summer as fully-grown caterpillars, then pupate and emerge as adults in the fall. One brood per year. [Butterflies and Skippers of North America]

One or possibly two generations per year in Canada. There are two or more broods farther south. [Butterflies of Canada]

similar to the Long Dash Skipper (Polites mystic), but the brown border of the forewings above is dark, sharply defined, and somewhat zigzagged where it meets the paler median shading; in P. mystic the border is paler, not zigzagged, and blends gradually into the paler median shade

pinned adult images plus various info and US distribution map (Butterflies and Skippers of North America; nearctica.com)

pinned adult images plus various info and Canadian distribution map (Butterflies of Canada; CBIF)