Least Skipper
Ancyloxypha numitor (Fabricius, 1793)
Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Hesperiinae
Identification: Antennae are short. Upperside of forewing is orange with a wide, diffuse black border at the outer margin; hindwing is yellow-orange with a wide black margin. Underside of forewing is black with orange borders at the tip and leading edge; hindwing is yellow-orange.
Wing Span: 7/8 - 1 1/8 inches (2.2 - 2.9 cm).
Life History: Males patrol for females with a low, fluttery flight through grassy areas. Females lay eggs singly on grass blades. Caterpillars feed on leaves and rest in nests of rolled or tied leaves. Third- and fourth-stage caterpillars hibernate.
Flight: Three broods from May-October in most of the range, four broods from February-December in the Deep South and Texas.
Caterpillar Hosts: Various grasses including marsh millet (Zizaniopsis miliacea), rice cutgrass (Leersia oryzoides), and cultivated rice (Oryza sativa).
Adult Food: Flower nectar from low growing plants such as wood sorrel, swamp verbena, pickerelweed, chickory, and white clover.
Habitat: Moist or wet open places with tall grasses, marshes, ditches, slow streams, hillsides, or old fields with tall grasses.
Range: Nova Scotia west to southern Saskatchewan; south through the eastern states to Florida, the Gulf states, Texas, and southeastern Arizona. Strays to central Colorado.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
Get your BAMONA Gear!
Please donate!
We depend on donations to keep Butterflies and Moths of North America freely available. We want to express our gratitude to all who showed their support by making a contribution this year. You can donate to support this project at any time.
Advertise with us!
Do you have a product or service that you think would interest BAMONA users? If you would like to advertise on this website, contact us by email, or use the contact form and select the "Advertising" category.
Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 4876 verified sightings
Observation date: Sep 09, 1994
Submitted by: papilio1
Region: Collin County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 17, 2024
Observation date: Aug 29, 2020
Submitted by: kent
Region: District of Columbia, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 14, 2024
Observation date: Sep 02, 2021
Submitted by: DVL
Region: District of Columbia, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 14, 2024
Observation date: Nov 15, 2021
Submitted by: dvollmar
Region: Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Sep 23, 2024
Observation date: Sep 18, 2024
Submitted by: jmgesell
Region: Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 22, 2024
Observation date: Sep 04, 2024
Submitted by: jmgesell
Region: Warren County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Sep 20, 2024
Observation date: Aug 26, 2024
Submitted by: Chip Gilbert
Region: Greenville County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 27, 2024
Observation date: Aug 10, 2024
Submitted by: Puccini
Region: Roberts County, South Dakota, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Aug 23, 2024
Observation date: Aug 16, 2024
Submitted by: jmgesell
Region: Dare County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 17, 2024
Observation date: Aug 04, 2024
Submitted by: ShutterRon
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 05, 2024
Observation date: Aug 03, 2024
Submitted by: Paul Prappas
Region: Addison County, Vermont, United States
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Aug 03, 2024
Observation date: Jul 25, 2024
Submitted by: naj.pilla
Region: Indiana, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 02, 2024
Observation date: Jul 27, 2024
Submitted by: cp2023
Region: Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 28, 2024
Observation date: Jul 26, 2024
Submitted by: jwileyrains
Region: Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 26, 2024
Observation date: Jul 16, 2024
Submitted by: Steven Wilson
Region: Nicholas County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 16, 2024
Observation date: Jul 14, 2024
Submitted by: jcarter
Region: Nova Scotia, Canada
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 16, 2024
Observation date: Jul 06, 2024
Submitted by: drmarc60223
Region: Clark County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 10, 2024
Observation date: Jul 07, 2024
Submitted by: ravenfrank1
Region: Frederick County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 09, 2024
Observation date: Jul 04, 2024
Submitted by: Tom Dudones
Region: Essex County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 05, 2024
Observation date: May 30, 2024
Submitted by: cmilledge3
Region: Allen County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jun 29, 2024
Observation date: Jun 16, 2024
Submitted by: Joceb2005
Region: Cook County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 22, 2024
Observation date: Jun 20, 2024
Submitted by: jmgesell
Region: Monroe County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jun 20, 2024
Observation date: Jun 15, 2024
Submitted by: cp2023
Region: Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jun 16, 2024
Observation date: Jun 15, 2024
Submitted by: cp2023
Region: Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jun 16, 2024
- 1 of 204
- next ›