Taxiles Skipper
Poanes taxiles (W.H. Edwards, 1881)
Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Hesperiinae
Identification: Male narrow black borders; underside of forewing with slightly darkened tip and outer margin; underside of hindwing with darkened base and outer margin. Female: Upperside is dark orange-brown with pale orange patches on the forewing and central hindwing. Underside of hindwing is violet-brown with a pale band of spots and a patch of gray scales near the outer margin.
Wing Span: 1 1/4 - 1 11/16 inches (3.2 - 4.3 cm).
Life History: Males perch in sunlit openings on leaves about 3-5 feet above the ground. They appear to defend their territory and may keep a perch for as long as a week. Courtship usually occurs in the afternoon. Females lay eggs singly under the host leaves. Caterpillars feed on leaves and make shelters of silk-tied leaves.
Flight: One brood from mid-June to August.
Caterpillar Hosts: Grasses including bluegrass (Poa), wheatgrass (Agropyron), orchardgrass (Dactylis), wildrye (Elymus), and bentgrass (Agrostis).
Adult Food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Woodland openings, stream valleys, forest meadows.
Range: Western South Dakota and north-central Nebraska south through the southern Rocky Mountains and foothills to central Mexico.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G4 - Apparently secure globally, though it might be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 97 - 120 of 299 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 14, 2010
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: San Miguel County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Mar 22, 2020
Observation date: Jun 25, 2009
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: Socorro County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Mar 22, 2020
Observation date: Aug 07, 2007
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: Grant County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Mar 21, 2020
Observation date: Jul 19, 2007
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: San Miguel County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Mar 21, 2020
Observation date: Jun 29, 2007
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: Torrance County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Mar 21, 2020
Observation date: Jul 30, 2019
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: El Paso County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Dec 31, 2019
Observation date: Jul 30, 2019
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: El Paso County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Dec 31, 2019
Observation date: Jul 02, 2019
Submitted by: eddysfo
Region: Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Sep 23, 2019
Observation date: Aug 04, 2019
Submitted by: Thomlinson
Region: Jefferson County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: A_baldini
Verified date: Sep 16, 2019
Observation date: Jul 31, 2019
Submitted by: topper72
Region: Los Alamos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Sep 03, 2019
Observation date: Jul 25, 2019
Submitted by: storolaf
Region: Jefferson County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: A_baldini
Verified date: Aug 04, 2019
Observation date: Jul 30, 2019
Submitted by: Cactuswren1976
Region: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Aug 01, 2019
Observation date: Jul 25, 2019
Submitted by: Cactuswren1976
Region: Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Aug 01, 2019
Observation date: Jul 20, 2019
Submitted by: Reneerob17
Region: Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Aug 01, 2019
Observation date: Jul 10, 2019
Submitted by: Cactuswren1976
Region: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 31, 2019
Observation date: Jul 03, 2019
Submitted by: Cactuswren1976
Region: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 31, 2019
Observation date: Jul 06, 2019
Submitted by: jvkopple2
Region: Custer County, South Dakota, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jul 16, 2019
Observation date: Jul 06, 2019
Submitted by: eddysfo
Region: Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: A_baldini
Verified date: Jul 12, 2019
Observation date: Jul 07, 2019
Submitted by: A_baldini
Region: Larimer County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: A_baldini
Verified date: Jul 10, 2019
Observation date: Jun 29, 2019
Submitted by: dbrudin
Region: El Paso County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: A_baldini
Verified date: Jul 03, 2019
Observation date: Jun 21, 2016
Submitted by: jangorski
Region: Colorado, United States
Verified by: A_baldini
Verified date: Nov 14, 2018
Observation date: Jul 27, 2018
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: Cochise County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Oct 19, 2018
Observation date: Jul 03, 2018
Submitted by: Bob Patton
Region: New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Oct 15, 2018
Observation date: Jul 14, 2018
Submitted by: A_baldini
Region: Larimer County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Sep 07, 2018
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