Butterflies and Moths of North America

collecting and sharing data about Lepidoptera

Yehl Skipper
Poanes yehl (Skinner, 1893)


Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Hesperiinae
Identification: Upperside is bright orange with wide dark borders; male forewing has a distinct linear stigma. Underside of hindwing is dark brown (female) or orange (males); both with 3-5 pale median spots.
Wing Span: 1 5/16 - 1 3/4 inches (3.4 - 4.5 cm).
Life History: To await females, males perch about 3 feet above the ground on sunlit vegetation.
Flight: Two broods from late May to mid-June and from mid-August to mid-November.
Caterpillar Hosts: Probably cane (Arundinaria species).
Adult Food: Nectar from flowers including sweet pepperbush, chinquapin, pickerelweed, and swamp milkweed.
Habitat: Clearings in wet or swampy woodlands.
Range: Southeast Virginia west to southwest Missouri; south to east Texas, the Gulf Coast, and northern Florida.
Conservation: Populations should be monitored because of gradual draining and conversion of habitats.
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