Indian Skipper
Hesperia sassacus Harris, 1862
Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Hesperiinae
Identification: Upperside is yellow-orange with well-defined black markings. Black border of the hindwing is often toothed. Underside of hindwing is yellow-orange with a band of yellow spots that barely contrasts with the background.
Wing Span: 1 1/4 - 1 3/8 inches (3.2 - 3.5 cm).
Life History: Males perch all day to await receptive females. Caterpillars live in silken tubes at the base of grass clumps and leave them to feed. Older caterpillars overwinter and in the spring pupate in a loose cocoon.
Flight: One brood from May-July.
Caterpillar Hosts: Various grasses including little bluestem (Andropogon scoparius), panic grass (Panicum), and red fescue (Festuca rubra).
Adult Food: Nectar from flowers including blackberry, henbit, lithospermum, phlox, and viper's bugloss.
Habitat: Old brushy fields, pastures, clearings, headlands.
Range: Maine west across southern Ontario to southeast Manitoba and Minnesota; south to western North Carolina, southern Ohio, and northern Indiana.
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.
Comments: NULL
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 49 - 72 of 971 verified sightings
Observation date: Jun 07, 2016
Submitted by: sharin
Region: Clarion County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 05, 2016
Observation date: Jun 13, 2016
Submitted by: jvkopple2
Region: Kalkaska County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jun 18, 2016
Observation date: Jun 04, 2016
Submitted by: TPeterson
Region: Benzie County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jun 14, 2016
Observation date: Jun 04, 2016
Submitted by: TPeterson
Region: Benzie County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jun 14, 2016
Observation date: Jun 04, 2016
Submitted by: TPeterson
Region: Benzie County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jun 14, 2016
Observation date: Jun 10, 2016
Submitted by: cblazo
Region: Fulton County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jun 12, 2016
Observation date: Jun 09, 2016
Submitted by: jvkopple2
Region: Kalkaska County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jun 10, 2016
Observation date: Jun 01, 2016
Submitted by: Joe Bartok
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jun 09, 2016
Observation date: Jun 01, 2016
Submitted by: cblazo
Region: Franklin County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jun 02, 2016
Observation date: May 31, 2016
Submitted by: cblazo
Region: Franklin County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jun 02, 2016
Observation date: Jun 01, 2016
Submitted by: cblazo
Region: Franklin County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jun 02, 2016
Observation date: May 31, 2016
Submitted by: cblazo
Region: Franklin County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jun 02, 2016
Observation date: Jun 02, 2016
Submitted by: jvkopple2
Region: Kalkaska County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jun 02, 2016
Observation date: Jul 01, 2015
Submitted by: hiker96
Region: Cook County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Mar 01, 2016
Observation date: May 26, 2015
Submitted by: cblazo
Region: Franklin County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: May 28, 2015
Observation date: May 23, 2015
Submitted by: Doug Bruce
Region: Unicoi County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: S. J. Stedman
Verified date: May 24, 2015
Observation date: May 19, 2009
Submitted by: Allen Belden
Region: Amherst County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: richardhsmith
Verified date: Mar 19, 2015
Observation date: Jun 28, 2014
Submitted by: jollygoodyellow
Region: Nova Scotia, Canada
Verified by: anthony.thomas
Verified date: Jun 29, 2014
Observation date: Jun 20, 2014
Submitted by: Cherylee Black
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jun 22, 2014
Observation date: Jun 07, 2011
Submitted by: cyric
Region: Washington County, Rhode Island, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 12, 2013
Observation date: Jun 05, 2012
Submitted by: Cherylee Black
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 03, 2013
Observation date: Jun 05, 2012
Submitted by: Cherylee Black
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 03, 2013
Observation date: Jun 03, 2013
Submitted by: soluslupus13
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jun 06, 2013
Observation date: Jun 01, 2013
Submitted by: BeaLaporte
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jun 03, 2013
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