Species Detail

Juba Skipper

Hesperia juba (Scudder, 1874)

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Attributes of Hesperia juba

Family: Skippers (Hesperiidae)

Subfamily: Grass Skippers (Hesperiinae)

Identification: Male is bright orange-brown with a dark border that is toothed inwardly. Female is larger than male, with more and brighter markings. Underside of hindwing is a slightly greenish brown, with large jagged white spots. Basal spot on submarginal row is displaced inwardly.

Life history: To await females, males perch in gulches all day. Females deposit eggs singly on or near the host plant. Caterpillars eat leaves and make nests of silked-together leaves. Probably caterpillars hibernate.

Flight: Two broods from May-June and August-September.

Wing span: 1 1/4 - 1 5/8 inches (3.2 - 4.2 cm).

Caterpillar hosts: Slender hairgrass (Deschampsia elongata), needlegrass (Stipa), foxtail brome (Bromus rubens), and bluegrass (Poa pratensis).

Adult food: Nectar from flowers including rabbitbrush.

Habitat: Sagebrush, chaparral, hilly grasslands, open woodland.

Range: British Columbia south to southern California; east to Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and northwest New Mexico.

Conservation: Not usually required.

NatureServe Global Status: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.

Management needs: None reported.