Attributes of Thymelicus lineola

European Skipper
Thymelicus lineola (Ochsenheimer, 1808)

Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Hesperiinae
Identification: Wings are brassy burnt orange; upperside of both wings with black borders and black on the outer portions of the veins. The male forewing has a narrow black stigma. A pale form (pallida) is very rare.
Wing Span: 1 - 1 1/8 inches (2.5 - 2.9 cm).
Life History: To find receptive females, males patrol grassy areas with a low meandering flight. Females lay eggs in strings on the host plant stem; the eggs overwinter and hatch the following spring. Caterpillars eat leaves and live in shelters of leaves tied together with silk. Adult skippers roost at night on grass stalks and in the morning bask with their wings at a 70 degree angle.
Flight: One brood from mid-May to mid-July.
Caterpillar Hosts: Timothy (Phleum pratense) and other grasses.
Adult Food: Nectar from low-growing flowers including orange hawkweed, thistles, ox-eye daisy, fleabane, white clover, red clover, selfheal, Deptford pink, common milkweed, and swamp milkweed.
Habitat: Open grassy places including meadows, hayfields, pastures, abandoned homesteads, grassy road edges.
Range: This skipper was introduced accidently to North America in 1910 through London, Ontario. Eastern population: Newfoundland west to eastern North Dakota, south to southern Illinois and western South Carolina. Western population: western Colorado, Idaho, Montana, and British Columbia. The range is still expanding, perhaps due to the relocation of eggs in hay shipments.
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: Caterpillars of the European skipper can be pests on timothy grass.
Taxonomy Notes:

Images of Thymelicus lineola

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The map below displays all verified sighting records in the BAMONA database for this species. Each record is indicated with a yellow dot. The orange dots on the map provide access to information about the 200 most recently verified sightings of this species. In some instances, there are several records at the same location. Use the table view to access these records.

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The fifty most recently verified sightings are below. See more recently verified sightings of all species.

Observation Date Submitter Region Verified Datesort icon
June 10, 2011 Shane Patterson Poweshiek County, Iowa, United States April 25, 2012 Details
July 04, 2010 Jim Brighton Penobscot County, Maine, United States December 24, 2011 Details
June 18, 2005 RaisingButterflies.org Wasatch County, Utah, United States November 29, 2011 Details
June 20, 2009 RaisingButterflies.org Wasatch County, Utah, United States November 29, 2011 Details
July 10, 2011 dan.in.crystal.lake Ontario, Canada November 19, 2011 Details
July 01, 2011 SemperAugustus Oakland County, Michigan, United States October 19, 2011 Details
August 01, 2011 plex1ppus Flathead County, Montana, United States October 02, 2011 Details
June 29, 2011 SemperAugustus Oakland County, Michigan, United States August 14, 2011 Details
July 01, 2011 SemperAugustus Oakland County, Michigan, United States August 14, 2011 Details
June 28, 2006 Eugene Karolinskiy St Joseph County, Indiana, United States August 13, 2011 Details
July 24, 2011 davidwdroppers Whatcom County, Washington, United States July 28, 2011 Details
June 25, 2011 cyric Bristol County, Rhode Island, United States July 19, 2011 Details
June 25, 2011 cyric Bristol County, Rhode Island, United States July 19, 2011 Details
June 30, 2011 BeaLaporte Ontario, Canada July 12, 2011 Details
June 16, 2010 Mark Wheeler Washington County, Minnesota, United States July 10, 2011 Details
July 03, 2011 Jackpine Cass County, Minnesota, United States July 06, 2011 Details
June 30, 2011 Calex Ontario, Canada July 02, 2011 Details
July 15, 2009 James Fox Oakland County, Michigan, United States June 29, 2011 Details
June 20, 2007 Matt ODonnell Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States June 23, 2011 Details
June 16, 2011 Cheryl Jennings Tucker County, West Virginia, United States June 22, 2011 Details
June 19, 2011 BeaLaporte Ontario, Canada June 20, 2011 Details
June 16, 2011 BeaLaporte Ontario, Canada June 17, 2011 Details
June 15, 2011 BeaLaporte Ontario, Canada June 16, 2011 Details
June 05, 2011 K Stilwell Tazewell County, Virginia, United States June 12, 2011 Details
June 09, 1995 legacy.reporter (Brown, Richard) Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States May 01, 2011 Details
June 11, 1995 legacy.reporter (Reinoehl, Jack) Hillsdale County, Michigan, United States May 01, 2011 Details
June 14, 1995 legacy.reporter (Keilb, Mike) Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States May 01, 2011 Details
June 14, 1995 legacy.reporter (Swales, John) Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States May 01, 2011 Details
June 16, 1995 Ranger Steve Mueller (Steven J. Mueller) Kent County, Michigan, United States May 01, 2011 Details
June 16, 1995 legacy.reporter (Swales, John with Martin Bialecki, Mike and Susan Kielb ) Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States May 01, 2011 Details
June 17, 1995 Ranger Steve Mueller (Steven J. Mueller) Kent County, Michigan, United States May 01, 2011 Details
June 21, 1995 Ranger Steve Mueller (Steven J. Mueller) Kent County, Michigan, United States May 01, 2011 Details
June 22, 1995 legacy.reporter (McWhirter, Doug) Otsego County, Michigan, United States May 01, 2011 Details
June 23, 1995 Ranger Steve Mueller (Steven J. Mueller) Kent County, Michigan, United States May 01, 2011 Details
June 23, 1995 legacy.reporter (Swales, John with Don Harvey, Mike & Susan Kielb, Warren Wagner, Roger Wykes ) Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States May 01, 2011 Details
June 28, 1995 legacy.reporter (Peters, David) Saginaw County, Michigan, United States May 01, 2011 Details
July 07, 1995 legacy.reporter (Keilb, Mike) Cheboygan County, Michigan, United States May 01, 2011 Details
July 07, 1995 legacy.reporter (Heuvelhorst, Bonnie with Rick Baetsen, Denny Brooks, Katherine Carothers, Janea Little, Willian Scharf, Myrtle Wilke) Chippewa County, Michigan, United States May 01, 2011 Details
July 07, 1995 legacy.reporter (Allen, Steve, Nina Crepas, Chip and Julie Francke, Lois Richmond) Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States May 01, 2011 Details
July 07, 1995 legacy.reporter (Franche, Chip with Steve Allen, Nina Crepas, Julie Francke, Lois Richmond) Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States May 01, 2011 Details
July 07, 1995 legacy.reporter (Hicks, Tim with Mary Hicks, Ken Sherburn, John Walhout) Muskegon County, Michigan, United States May 01, 2011 Details
July 08, 1995 legacy.reporter (Keilb, Mike) Baraga County, Michigan, United States May 01, 2011 Details
July 08, 1995 legacy.reporter (Keilb, Mike) Houghton County, Michigan, United States May 01, 2011 Details
July 08, 1995 legacy.reporter (Heuvelhorst, Bonnie with Rick Baetsen, DennyBrooks, Katherine Carothers, Andy Carter, Mark Jaunzems, Stephen Kay, Karen Lamonte, Janea Little, Mason Schafer, Melvin Schafer, Richard Urbanek, Myrtle Wilke, Robert Wood) Schoolcraft County, Michigan, United States May 01, 2011 Details
July 11, 1995 legacy.reporter (Keilb, Mike) Gogebic County, Michigan, United States May 01, 2011 Details
July 11, 1995 legacy.reporter (Essenmacher, Monica) Huron County, Michigan, United States May 01, 2011 Details
July 11, 1995 legacy.reporter (Webster, Ken) Oakland County, Michigan, United States May 01, 2011 Details
July 11, 1995 legacy.reporter (Keilb, Mike) Ontonagon County, Michigan, United States May 01, 2011 Details
July 14, 1995 legacy.reporter (Little, Janea, with Gene Beckham, Denny Brooks, Katherine Carothers, Donna & Ralph Czerepinski, Monica Essenmacher, Bob Lederhouse, Betty Secrist, Wendy Skory, Cathy Yanacek) Midland County, Michigan, United States May 01, 2011 Details
July 14, 1995 legacy.reporter (Nowicki, Tim with Joe Derek, Erica & Lee Hehman, Don Hodges) Oakland County, Michigan, United States May 01, 2011 Details