Sierra Skipper
Hesperia miriamae MacNeill, 1959
Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Hesperiinae
Identification: Live individuals have a blue sheen above and below. Upperside is yellow-orange. Forewing has a diffuse dark border and large pale spots near the tip. Underside is gray with yellow-orange at the base of the forewing and large rectangular white spots on the hindwing.
Wing Span: 1 1/8 - 1 1/4 inches (2.9 - 3.2 cm).
Life History: To watch for receptive females, males perch on top of hills or ridges all day. Females lay eggs on the host grass. Caterpillars live in silken tubes at the base of grass clumps and feed on grass leaves nearby; then overwinter in partially-buried shelters.
Flight: One brood from July-August.
Caterpillar Hosts: Perhaps alpine fescue (Festuca brachyphylla).
Adult Food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Rocky alpine tundra from 11,000-14,000 feet.
Range: The Sierra Nevada from Tuolumne County to Inyo County, California; White Mountains of eastern California and western Nevada.
Conservation: Populations should be monitored and threats, if any, identified.
NCGR: G2 - Imperiled globally because of rarity (6 to 20 occurrences), or because of other factors demonstrably making it very vulnerable to extinction throughout its range. (Endangered throughout its range).
Management Needs:
Comments: NULL
Pollinator Week was June 20-26, 2022!
Butterflies and moths are accidental pollinators of many flowering plants. While most species do not have special structures to carry pollen, they do brush against pollen and transfer it to other flowers.
Did you know? The Eastern Tailed-Blue (Cupido comyntas) flies close to the ground and uses its short proboscis to probe flowers of wild strawberry, white sweet clover, and other low-lying plants.
Verified Sightings
Displaying 25 - 42 of 42 verified sightings
Observation date: Aug 03, 1961
Submitted by: ray.stanford@st... (Ray Stanford)
Region: Fresno County, California, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (Ray Stanford)
Verified date: Jul 08, 2009
Observation date: Jul 17, 1981
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Derham Giuliani)
Region: Tulare County, California, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (Andrew Warren)
Verified date: Jul 08, 2009
Observation date: Jul 31, 1958
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Oakley Shields)
Region: Mono County, California, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (Garth & Tilden)
Verified date: Jul 08, 2009
Observation date: Jul 19, 1981
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Derham Giuliani)
Region: Tulare County, California, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (Andrew Warren)
Verified date: Jul 08, 2009
Observation date: Aug 08, 1981
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Robert Langston)
Region: Tuolumne County, California, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (Robert Langston)
Verified date: Jul 08, 2009
Observation date: Jul 26, 1966
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (S. Johnson)
Region: Tulare County, California, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (Robert Langston)
Verified date: Jul 08, 2009
Observation date: Jul 22, 1980
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Jack Levy)
Region: Mono County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jul 08, 2009
Observation date: Aug 30, 1967
Submitted by: paulopler (Paul Opler)
Region: Inyo County, California, United States
Verified by: paulopler (Paul Opler)
Verified date: Jul 08, 2009
Observation date: Jul 28, 1982
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Derham Giuliani)
Region: Tulare County, California, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (Andrew Warren)
Verified date: Jul 08, 2009
Observation date: Aug 03, 2003
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Susan Steele)
Region: Tuolumne County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jul 08, 2009
Observation date: Aug 30, 1989
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Richard P. Meyer)
Region: Mono County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jul 08, 2009
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Tuolumne County, California, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Fresno County, California, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Esmeralda County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Mono County, California, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Tulare County, California, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Inyo County, California, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Alpine County, California, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
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