Butterflies and Moths of North America

collecting and sharing data about Lepidoptera

Sonora Skipper
Polites sonora (Scudder, 1872)


Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Hesperiinae
Identification: Upperside is reddish-orange with a wide, light brown border. Male forewing has a wide black stigma. Hindwing has a light band of separate spots; band is more diffuse in female. Underside of hindwing varies from brown to greenish-brown, and has a narrow yellow-white band which may be composed of separate spots.
Wing Span: 1 - 1 1/4 inches (2.5 - 3.2 cm).
Life History: To wait for females, males perch in depressions in meadows all day.
Flight: One brood from June-August.
Caterpillar Hosts: Possibly Idaho fescue (Festuca idahoensis).
Adult Food: Nectar from flowers including white-flowered thistles.
Habitat: From sea level to 11,000 feet in coastal plains, streamsides, wet areas in high plains, and moist mountain meadows.
Range: Southern British Columbia south to southern California; east to Idaho, Wyoming, and Colorado.
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.
Comments: NULL
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