Meske's Skipper
Hesperia meskei (W.H. Edwards, 1877)
Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Hesperiinae
Identification: Upperside is dark brown with bright orange areas. Underside of hindwing is bright yellow-orange with a faint band of paler spots.
Wing Span: 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 inches (3.2 - 3.9 cm).
Life History: Males perch to wait for receptive females, who lay their eggs singly on the host plant. Caterpillars live in silken tubes at the base of grass clumps and feed on grass nearby. They overwinter in shelters that are partially underground.
Flight: Two broods from April-October; several broods from May-December in southern Florida.
Caterpillar Hosts: Little bluestem (Andropogon scoparius) and arrowfeather threeawn (Aristida purpurascens).
Adult Food: Nectar from flowers of blazing star, pickerelweed, and others.
Habitat: Sparse, open woods and grassy places.
Range: Southern North Carolina south to the Florida Keys. Isolated populations in central Arkansas and east Texas. Strays to South Texas.
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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Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 149 verified sightings
Observation date: Oct 07, 2023
Submitted by: dvollmar
Region: Osceola County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 12, 2024
Observation date: Oct 07, 2023
Submitted by: dvollmar
Region: Osceola County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 12, 2024
Observation date: May 16, 2020
Submitted by: Douglas Matuska
Region: Austin County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 11, 2022
Observation date: Jun 09, 2022
Submitted by: Roy Cohutta
Region: Georgia, Taylor County, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Jun 29, 2022
Observation date: Sep 22, 2018
Submitted by: Mark Salvato
Region: Clay County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Oct 29, 2021
Observation date: Sep 25, 2021
Submitted by: Tommie Rogers
Region: Clay County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Oct 19, 2021
Observation date: Sep 27, 2019
Submitted by: Mark Salvato
Region: Osceola County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Sep 29, 2021
Observation date: Oct 24, 2020
Submitted by: Mark Salvato
Region: Osceola County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 26, 2021
Observation date: Jun 16, 2021
Submitted by: Jeff Trahan
Region: Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jul 14, 2021
Observation date: Jun 16, 2021
Submitted by: Jeff Trahan
Region: Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jul 14, 2021
Observation date: Sep 30, 2020
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: Clay County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Oct 02, 2020
Observation date: Jun 22, 2019
Submitted by: Brad.Moon
Region: Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 03, 2020
Observation date: Jun 07, 2020
Submitted by: Mark Salvato
Region: Indian River County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jun 08, 2020
Observation date: Jun 03, 2019
Submitted by: Brad.Moon
Region: Vernon Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: May 11, 2020
Observation date: Oct 06, 2019
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Oct 09, 2019
Observation date: Oct 04, 2019
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Oct 09, 2019
Observation date: Aug 26, 2019
Submitted by: AmyandLeigh
Region: Taylor County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Sep 02, 2019
Observation date: Jun 22, 2019
Submitted by: Jeff Trahan
Region: Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jul 14, 2019
Observation date: Jun 22, 2019
Submitted by: Jonathan Clark
Region: Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jun 24, 2019
Observation date: Jun 22, 2019
Submitted by: Jonathan Clark
Region: Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jun 24, 2019
Observation date: Jun 22, 2019
Submitted by: Jonathan Clark
Region: Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jun 24, 2019
Observation date: Jun 22, 2019
Submitted by: Jonathan Clark
Region: Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jun 24, 2019
Observation date: Jun 23, 2018
Submitted by: Jeff Trahan
Region: Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Sep 06, 2018
Observation date: Jun 14, 2011
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe (Irvin Pitts)
Region: Chesterfield County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 31, 2018
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