Hobomok Skipper
Poanes hobomok (Harris, 1862)
Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Hesperiinae
Identification: Wings are rounded. Upperside of male is yellow-orange with irregular black borders and no stigma; underside of hindwing has purple-gray on the inner margin. Female has 2 forms: Upperside of normal form is duller and has less orange than the male; underside of hindwing is orange with purple-gray at the inner margin. Upperside of "pocahontas" form is purple-black with some dull white spots on the forewing; underside is purple-black with the pattern obscured.
Wing Span: 1 - 1 11/16 inches (2.5 - 4.3 cm).
Life History: To await receptive females, males perch about 6 feet above ground on vegetation in woodland clearings. Females deposit eggs singly on or near the host grass leaves, which are eaten by the caterpillars.
Flight: One brood from April-July.
Caterpillar Hosts: Various grasses including panic grasses (Panicum) and bluegrasses (Poa).
Adult Food: Nectar from flowers including common milkweed, henbit, viper's bugloss, and blackberry.
Habitat: Openings and edges of damp woods, edges of bogs, light gaps along streams, city parks.
Range: Nova Scotia west across southern Canada to central Alberta; south to New Jersey, northern Georgia, Arkansas, central Kansas, and eastern Oklahoma. An isolated population ranges from central Colorado to northern 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.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 3900 verified sightings
Observation date: Jun 07, 2025
Submitted by: Bob Jacobson
Region: Chippewa County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jan 17, 2026
Observation date: Jun 10, 2025
Submitted by: Bob Jacobson
Region: Rusk County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jan 17, 2026
Observation date: Jun 10, 2025
Submitted by: Bob Jacobson
Region: Rusk County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jan 17, 2026
Observation date: Jun 10, 2025
Submitted by: Bob Jacobson
Region: Rusk County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jan 17, 2026
Observation date: Jun 10, 2025
Submitted by: Bob Jacobson
Region: Rusk County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jan 17, 2026
Observation date: Jun 10, 2025
Submitted by: Bob Jacobson
Region: Rusk County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jan 17, 2026
Observation date: Jun 10, 2025
Submitted by: Bob Jacobson
Region: Rusk County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jan 17, 2026
Observation date: Jun 08, 2024
Submitted by: DianaMK
Region: Beltrami County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jan 17, 2026
Observation date: Jun 10, 2025
Submitted by: Bob Jacobson
Region: Rusk County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Nov 21, 2025
Observation date: Sep 03, 2025
Submitted by: cp2023
Region: Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 06, 2025
Observation date: Jun 14, 2025
Submitted by: commentator
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 18, 2025
Observation date: Jun 15, 2025
Submitted by: commentator
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 18, 2025
Observation date: Jun 06, 2020
Submitted by: Daniel Morton
Region: Morris County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 09, 2025
Observation date: Jun 07, 2023
Submitted by: John Terpstra
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 06, 2025
Observation date: Jun 22, 2025
Submitted by: John Terpstra
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jun 27, 2025
Observation date: Jun 25, 2025
Submitted by: John Terpstra
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jun 27, 2025
Observation date: Jun 23, 2025
Submitted by: Tom Dudones
Region: Franklin County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jun 23, 2025
Observation date: Jun 21, 2025
Submitted by: MarkSCitsay
Region: Washington County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jun 21, 2025
Observation date: Jun 14, 2025
Submitted by: John Terpstra
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jun 16, 2025
Observation date: Jun 14, 2025
Submitted by: Sometimes
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jun 14, 2025
Observation date: Jun 13, 2025
Submitted by: DeepSkyKelly
Region: Colfax County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jun 14, 2025
Observation date: Jun 25, 2005
Submitted by: Tom Dudones
Region: Franklin County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jun 13, 2025
Observation date: Jun 05, 2025
Submitted by: Tom Dudones
Region: Franklin County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jun 05, 2025
Observation date: Jun 05, 2025
Submitted by: Sometimes
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jun 05, 2025
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