Butterflies and Moths of North America

collecting and sharing data about Lepidoptera

Rural Skipper
Ochlodes agricola (Boisduval, 1852)


Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Hesperiinae
Identification: Upperside is yellow-orange with dark borders and light translucent spots; male forewing stigma has gray in the center. Underside is reddish brown; hindwing band is pale to absent.
Wing Span: 7/8 - 1 1/8 inches (2.2 - 2.9 cm).
Life History: Males perch at the edges of clearings to await receptive females.
Flight: One brood from May-June.
Caterpillar Hosts: Grasses.
Adult Food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Chaparral, streamsides, woodland openings, fencerows.
Range: California west of the Sierra Nevada Divide, south into Baja California Norte.
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