Woodland Skipper
Ochlodes sylvanoides (Boisduval, 1852)
Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Hesperiinae
Identification: Upperside is orange with toothed brown borders. Forewing has a black stigma (male) or a black diagonal band (female). Hindwing has a large reddish patch. Underside varies from yellow to reddish to brown; hindwing varies from unmarked to having a distinct band of cream to yellow spots.
Wing Span: 1 - 1 1/4 inches (2.5 - 3.2 cm).
Life History: Males perch on ridges in California and in gullies in Colorado to await females. First-stage caterpillars hibernate, complete their feeding the next spring, diapause in the summer as fully-grown caterpillars, then pupate and emerge as adults in the fall.
Flight: One brood from late July-October.
Caterpillar Hosts: Various grasses including Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon), canary grass (Phalaris), wildrye (Elymus), and wheatgrass (Agropyron).
Adult Food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Grassy areas in chaparral, sagebrush, woodland, gardens, and small streams.
Range: Very common. British Columbia south to southern California; east to Montana, Colorado, and Arizona.
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.
BAMONA Shop
Please donate!
We depend on donations to keep Butterflies and Moths of North America freely available. We want to express our gratitude to all who showed their support by making a contribution this year. You can donate to support this project at any time.
Advertise with us!
Do you have a product or service that you think would interest BAMONA users? If you would like to advertise on this website, contact us by email, or use the contact form and select the "Advertising" category.
Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 946 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 27, 2025
Submitted by: Sophia Reyes
Region: Santa Cruz County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 28, 2025
Observation date: Aug 09, 2024
Submitted by: Geoff Urwin
Region: Saskatchewan, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 12, 2025
Observation date: Jun 24, 2025
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: Sherman County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jul 11, 2025
Observation date: Aug 29, 2006
Submitted by: papilio1
Region: Washoe County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: May 02, 2025
Observation date: Aug 09, 1983
Submitted by: papilio1
Region: Butte County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: May 01, 2025
Observation date: Sep 24, 2024
Submitted by: Dave Rintoul
Region: Monterey County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Nov 02, 2024
Observation date: Aug 29, 2024
Submitted by: MAKI
Region: Santa Cruz Island County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 04, 2024
Observation date: Sep 19, 2024
Submitted by: butterflies4us
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 20, 2024
Observation date: Aug 25, 2024
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 11, 2024
Observation date: Aug 04, 2024
Submitted by: Cascade Colors
Region: Grand County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Sep 07, 2024
Observation date: Aug 29, 2024
Submitted by: MAKI
Region: Santa Barbara County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 03, 2024
Observation date: Aug 26, 2024
Submitted by: Vickie J Anderson
Region: Mason County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Sep 02, 2024
Observation date: Aug 28, 2024
Submitted by: Luna-Linuche.76
Region: Mason County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Sep 02, 2024
Observation date: Aug 30, 2024
Submitted by: Luna-Linuche.76
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 01, 2024
Observation date: Aug 30, 2024
Submitted by: Luna-Linuche.76
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 01, 2024
Observation date: Aug 30, 2024
Submitted by: Lisahug
Region: Sonoma County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 31, 2024
Observation date: Aug 03, 2024
Submitted by: srhflsmck
Region: Missoula County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Aug 28, 2024
Observation date: Aug 23, 2024
Submitted by: Calypso12
Region: Clallam County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Aug 27, 2024
Observation date: Sep 09, 2021
Submitted by: Buddy Mays
Region: Jefferson County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 27, 2024
Observation date: Jul 31, 2024
Submitted by: sandyleapt
Region: Benton County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 16, 2024
Observation date: Aug 16, 2024
Submitted by: weflybye
Region: Clallam County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Aug 16, 2024
Observation date: Aug 12, 2024
Submitted by: Jeff Kreger
Region: Multnomah County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 12, 2024
Observation date: Aug 10, 2024
Submitted by: camflies
Region: Ventura County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 12, 2024
Observation date: Jul 28, 2024
Submitted by: Nyrat90
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Aug 10, 2024
- 1 of 40
- next ›