Family:Hesperiidae
Sub-Family
Description:
Range:
This is a widespread species of the U.S., ranging from the extreme northeast
through the entire eastern half of the U.S., and west to the north Pacific Coast
and parts of California and the southwest. It is found scattered throughout
Idaho.
Habitat:
It can be found in canyons, open woodlands, prairies, and
along streams.
Diet:
Caterpillar:
Caterpillars eat the leaves of a variety of tree and herbaceous legumes, including
locusts (Robinia and Gleditsia spp.), tick-trefoils (Desmodium
spp.), and beans (Phaseolus spp.).
Adult: Butterflies drink flower nectar, typically from flowers colored blue, red, pink, or purple.
Ecology:
Young caterpillars live in shelters made from folded leaves, while older
caterpillars live in nests
made of silk and leaves. The number of generations of caterpillars each summer
depends on the location, with one in the north and west, two in the east, and
three or four in the south. Pupae
overwinter in a physiological state called diapause. In the case of multiple generations
of caterpillars in a single growing season, only the last generation overwinters
after pupating. Adults
generally fly from
late May to July. Butterflies hang upside down from leaves.
Reproduction:
Males perch to
wait for receptive females, or may actively patrol
for them. Females lay greenish eggs singly on the leaves of host plants
or on plants near host species.
Conservation:
![]() |
![]() |
Global Rank: | G5
populations are widespread, abundant, and secure. |
Ferris, C. D. and F. M. Brown. (eds.) 1981. Butterflies of the Rocky Mountain States. Univ. of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Oklahoma, 442 pp.
Opler, P. A., H. Pavulaan, and R. E. Stanford. 1995. Butterflies of North America. Jamestown, North Dakota, USA: Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center Home Page. http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/lepid/bflyusa/bflyusa.htm (Version 05Nov98).
Opler, P. A. and A. B.Wright. 1999. A Field Guide to the Western Butterflies. Second Edition. Peterson Field Guide Series. Houghton Mifflin Company, New York, New York, USA, 540 pp.
Pyle, R. M. 1981. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Butterflies. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York, New York, USA, 924 pp.
Scott, J. A. 1986. The Butterflies of North America. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California, USA, 583 pp.
Stanford, R. E. and P. A. Opler. 1993. Atlas of Western U.S.A. Butterflies (Including Adjacent Parts of Canada and Mexico). Published by authors, Denver, Colorado, USA, 275 pp.