Sandhill Skipper
Polites sabuleti (Boisduval, 1852)
Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Hesperiinae
Identification: Common and quite variable. Upperside of male is yellow-orange with dark toothed borders and a sinuous stigma on the forewing. Upperside of female has heavier dark markings and almost transparent light spots; no stigma. Underside of the hindwing in both sexes is yellow-tan with yellow veins, dark chevrons between the veins at the outer margin, and dark spots at the vein ends.
Wing Span: 7/8 - 1 1/4 inches (2.2 - 3.2 cm).
Life History: To watch for females, males perch all day in low grassy areas. Females deposit eggs singly on the host or on nearby plants. Caterpillars feed on leaves and take shelter in nests of tied leaves. Chrysalids hibernate.
Flight: One flight from June-August at high elevations; several flights from March-October in the south and at low elevations.
Caterpillar Hosts: Various grasses including Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon), bluegrass (Poa pratensis), desert salt grass (Distichlis spicata var. stricta), sand lovegrass (Eragrostis trichodes), rough bentgrass (Agrostis scabra), Idaho fescue (Festuca idahoensis), and alpine fescue (Festuca brachyphylla).
Adult Food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Alkali grasslands, moist meadows, lawns, salt marshes, sand dunes, sagebrush flats, and alpine fell-fields.
Range: Southern British Columbia and eastern Washington south through California and northern Arizona to Baja California; east to southeastern Wyoming, central Colorado, and northeastern New Mexico.
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.
Comments: NULL
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 169 - 192 of 503 verified sightings
Observation date: Aug 24, 1972
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Larry Orsak)
Region: Orange County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 06, 2010
Observation date: Sep 02, 1969
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Larry Orsak)
Region: Orange County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 06, 2010
Observation date: Jul 08, 1974
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Norman Nakanishi)
Region: Orange County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 06, 2010
Observation date: Jul 04, 1934
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Don Meadows)
Region: Orange County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 06, 2010
Observation date: Aug 17, 1947
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (T. Hower)
Region: Orange County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 06, 2010
Observation date: Aug 16, 1964
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Charles Sexton)
Region: Orange County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 06, 2010
Observation date: Apr 30, 1966
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Robert L. Langston)
Region: Santa Barbara County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 06, 2010
Observation date: Apr 30, 1966
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Robert L. Langston)
Region: Santa Barbara County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 06, 2010
Observation date: Jun 19, 1960
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Tom & John Emmel)
Region: Placer County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 05, 2010
Observation date: Jun 19, 1960
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Tom & John Emmel)
Region: Placer County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 05, 2010
Observation date: Aug 19, 1960
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Tom & John Emmel)
Region: Placer County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 05, 2010
Observation date: Aug 19, 1960
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Tom & John Emmel)
Region: Placer County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 05, 2010
Observation date: Jul 26, 1995
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Jeffrey Glassberg)
Region: San Joaquin County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 05, 2010
Observation date: Aug 03, 1997
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Jeffrey Glassberg)
Region: Mono County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 05, 2010
Observation date: Sep 16, 1993
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Jeffrey Glassberg)
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 05, 2010
Observation date: Sep 12, 1993
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Jeffrey Glassberg)
Region: Los Angeles County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 05, 2010
Observation date: Aug 03, 1995
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Jeffrey Glassberg)
Region: Mono County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 05, 2010
Observation date: Jul 29, 1922
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (J. A. Comstock)
Region: Inyo County, California, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (J. A. Comstock)
Verified date: Jan 05, 2010
Observation date: Aug 04, 1922
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (J. A. Comstock)
Region: Tuolumne County, California, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (J. A. Comstock)
Verified date: Jan 05, 2010
Observation date: May 27, 1925
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (J. A. Comstock)
Region: Los Angeles County, California, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (J. A. Comstock)
Verified date: Jan 05, 2010
Observation date: Aug 03, 1922
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (J. A. Comstock)
Region: Tuolumne County, California, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (J. A. Comstock)
Verified date: Jan 05, 2010
Observation date: May 22, 1994
Submitted by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Region: Yolo County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 04, 2010
Observation date: May 16, 1981
Submitted by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Region: San Luis Obispo County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 04, 2010
Observation date: Aug 22, 1987
Submitted by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Region: Kings County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 04, 2010
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