Draco Skipper
Polites draco (W.H. Edwards, 1871)
Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Hesperiinae
Identification: Upperside of male is dark brown with reddish-orange markings; forewing with a short black stigma. Reddish-orange bar opposite the hindwing cell is longer than the other bars. Female is similar but lacks a stigma and has lighter colored markings. Underside of both sexes is brown with a greenish tint and cream spots, and has the upperside markings repeated. Veins are the same color as the wing and there are dark dots at the vein ends.
Wing Span: 1 - 1 1/4 inches (2.5 - 3.2 cm).
Life History: To await receptive females, males perch in low grassy spots all day.
Flight: One brood from June-August.
Caterpillar Hosts: Grasses.
Adult Food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Grassy, high elevation meadows.
Range: Yukon Territory, British Columbia, and Alberta south through the Rocky Mountains of Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. There is one record for Nevada.
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.
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 25 - 48 of 247 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 16, 2022
Submitted by: tjay13
Region: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 17, 2022
Observation date: Jun 29, 2022
Submitted by: twofried
Region: Taos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 17, 2022
Observation date: Jul 03, 2022
Submitted by: Arley
Region: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 06, 2022
Observation date: Jun 27, 2022
Submitted by: twofried
Region: Taos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 04, 2022
Observation date: Jun 24, 2022
Submitted by: twofried
Region: Taos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 02, 2022
Observation date: Jun 04, 2021
Submitted by: Mark Salvato
Region: Apache County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 26, 2021
Observation date: Jul 09, 2021
Submitted by: twofried
Region: Taos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 11, 2021
Observation date: Jun 23, 2021
Submitted by: Cactuswren1976
Region: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jun 29, 2021
Observation date: Jun 09, 2021
Submitted by: Harry Forbes
Region: Taos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jun 29, 2021
Observation date: Jun 22, 2021
Submitted by: dsperanza
Region: Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jun 23, 2021
Observation date: Jun 07, 2021
Submitted by: topper72
Region: Los Alamos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jun 15, 2021
Observation date: Jun 25, 2020
Submitted by: WYbutterflyer1
Region: Larimer County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: May 03, 2021
Observation date: Jun 21, 2020
Submitted by: WYbutterflyer1
Region: Albany County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Mar 01, 2021
Observation date: Jun 05, 2020
Submitted by: WYbutterflyer1
Region: Albany County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Mar 01, 2021
Observation date: Jul 12, 2020
Submitted by: WYbutterflyer1
Region: Albany County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Mar 01, 2021
Observation date: Jun 12, 2020
Submitted by: WYbutterflyer1
Region: Albany County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Feb 23, 2021
Observation date: Jul 07, 2020
Submitted by: WYbutterflyer1
Region: Albany County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Feb 17, 2021
Observation date: Jul 11, 2020
Submitted by: J_Martineau (Charlotte Martineau)
Region: Johnson County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jan 06, 2021
Observation date: Jul 11, 2020
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Nov 20, 2020
Observation date: Jul 05, 2020
Submitted by: Aner
Region: Custer County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Nov 19, 2020
Observation date: Jul 02, 2020
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Nov 13, 2020
Observation date: Jul 06, 2020
Submitted by: Cascade Colors
Region: Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Nov 08, 2020
Observation date: May 27, 2020
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Nov 03, 2020
Observation date: Jul 10, 2020
Submitted by: JulieLuetzelschwab
Region: San Miguel County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 19, 2020
- ‹ previous
- 2 of 11
- next ›