Whirlabout
Polites vibex (Geyer, 1832)
Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Hesperiinae
Identification: Males and females are very different. Male Upperside is yellow-orange; forewing has a black stigma and neighboring black square patch; black margins of hindwing are smooth inwardly. Underside is yellow-orange; hindwing has a few large blurred black spots. Female: Upperside is dark brown; forewing has a few clear spots. Underside is gray or sooty yellow with a central pale patch outlined with dark scales.
Wing Span: 1 - 1 1/2 inches (2.5 - 3.9 cm).
Life History: Adult flight is quick and darting. Females are usually found in forest openings or edges; males perch to await females during the afternoon. Caterpillars live in a tube of silked-together leaves and feed mostly at night.
Flight: Two broods from April-September in the north; all year in Florida and South Texas.
Caterpillar Hosts: Grasses including Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon), St. Augustine grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum), and thin paspalum (Paspalum setaceum).
Adult Food: Nectar from flowers including shepherd\'s needle and lantana.
Habitat: Scrubby or open habitats including dunes, fields, pinewoods, roadsides, forest openings, yards, and parks.
Range: Southeastern United States and the West Indies south through eastern Mexico and central America to Argentina. Periodically strays north to northeast Iowa, northern Ohio, and Connecticut.
Conservation: Not 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
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 49 - 72 of 685 verified sightings
Observation date: Apr 23, 2022
Submitted by: H Hooper
Region: Leon County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Apr 24, 2022
Observation date: Apr 08, 2022
Submitted by: sgensits
Region: Leon County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Apr 09, 2022
Observation date: Mar 04, 2022
Submitted by: Joceb2005
Region: Collier County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Mar 08, 2022
Observation date: Aug 04, 2018
Submitted by: Mark Salvato
Region: Hillsborough County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Oct 29, 2021
Observation date: Oct 18, 2021
Submitted by: Jonathan Clark
Region: Grant Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 29, 2021
Observation date: Sep 26, 2021
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Charleston County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Oct 17, 2021
Observation date: Mar 23, 2019
Submitted by: Mark Salvato
Region: Indian River County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Oct 16, 2021
Observation date: Sep 03, 2019
Submitted by: Mark Salvato
Region: Calhoun County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Oct 16, 2021
Observation date: Sep 25, 2021
Submitted by: Tommie Rogers
Region: Clay County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Oct 07, 2021
Observation date: Sep 04, 2021
Submitted by: LauraSea
Region: Nassau County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Sep 07, 2021
Observation date: Sep 01, 2021
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: McIntosh County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Sep 04, 2021
Observation date: Jul 30, 2021
Submitted by: D Grimes
Region: Hernando County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 04, 2021
Observation date: Jul 21, 2021
Submitted by: sgensits
Region: Leon County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jul 25, 2021
Observation date: Jul 17, 2021
Submitted by: John Demko
Region: Georgia, Washington County, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Jul 24, 2021
Observation date: Jul 08, 2021
Submitted by: LauraSea
Region: Nassau County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jul 10, 2021
Observation date: May 09, 2021
Submitted by: KShell
Region: Dixie County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: May 20, 2021
Observation date: May 10, 2021
Submitted by: sgensits
Region: Leon County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: May 10, 2021
Observation date: May 03, 2021
Submitted by: Doglvr74
Region: Citrus County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: May 05, 2021
Observation date: Apr 01, 2021
Submitted by: D Grimes
Region: Hernando County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Apr 17, 2021
Observation date: Apr 01, 2021
Submitted by: Michael Weisensee
Region: Sarasota County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Apr 03, 2021
Observation date: Mar 20, 2021
Submitted by: Michael Weisensee
Region: Sarasota County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Mar 21, 2021
Observation date: Sep 06, 2020
Submitted by: JudyDarby
Region: St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Feb 21, 2021
Observation date: Oct 04, 2020
Submitted by: Jeff Trahan
Region: Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Dec 09, 2020
Observation date: Oct 04, 2020
Submitted by: Jeff Trahan
Region: Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Dec 07, 2020
- ‹ previous
- 3 of 29
- next ›