Crossline Skipper
Polites origenes (Fabricius, 1793)
Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Hesperiinae
Identification: Upperside is dark brown with orange markings. Female usually lacks orange along the forewing costa and has a square spot below the end of the cell; male has a long, straight forewing stigma. Underside of hindwing is orange-brown with a faint band of spots.
Wing Span: 1 1/8 - 1 1/2 inches (2.9 - 3.8 cm).
Life History: Males perch in open grassy areas most of the day to await receptive females. Courtship occurs from midday to mid-afternoon. Third- and fourth-stage caterpillars hibernate.
Flight: One brood from June-August in the north, two broods from May-September in the south.
Caterpillar Hosts: Purpletop (Tridens flavus), little bluestem (Andropogon scoparius), and other grasses.
Adult Food: White, pink, or purple flowers are preferred including purple vetch, red clover, selfheal, dogbane, shrub houstonia, New Jersey tea, and New York ironweed.
Habitat: Open grassy areas including prairies hills, barrens, power line cuts, old fields, forest openings.
Range: Western North Dakota east across central Minnesota, southern Ontario, and southern Quebec to central Maine; south to northeast Texas, the Gulf Coast, and northern Florida. A separate population (P. o. rhena) occurs along the Rocky Mountains from northern Colorado to northeastern New Mexico.
Conservation: Populations of subspecies rhena, found in patches of all tall-grass prairies, should be conserved wherever found.
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 193 - 216 of 1766 verified sightings
Observation date: Aug 30, 2013
Submitted by: treichard
Region: Baltimore County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: richardhsmith
Verified date: Sep 07, 2013
Observation date: Aug 30, 2013
Submitted by: treichard
Region: Baltimore County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: richardhsmith
Verified date: Sep 07, 2013
Observation date: Aug 30, 2013
Submitted by: treichard
Region: Baltimore County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: richardhsmith
Verified date: Sep 07, 2013
Observation date: Aug 30, 2013
Submitted by: treichard
Region: Baltimore County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: richardhsmith
Verified date: Sep 07, 2013
Observation date: Aug 30, 2013
Submitted by: treichard
Region: Baltimore County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: richardhsmith
Verified date: Sep 07, 2013
Observation date: Aug 30, 2013
Submitted by: treichard
Region: Baltimore County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: richardhsmith
Verified date: Sep 07, 2013
Observation date: Aug 24, 2013
Submitted by: treichard
Region: Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: richardhsmith
Verified date: Sep 05, 2013
Observation date: Aug 24, 2013
Submitted by: treichard
Region: Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: richardhsmith
Verified date: Sep 05, 2013
Observation date: Jun 19, 2012
Submitted by: mom2krb
Region: Loudoun County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: richardhsmith
Verified date: Jul 22, 2013
Observation date: May 11, 2012
Submitted by: Nancy Weiss
Region: Albemarle County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: richardhsmith
Verified date: Jul 16, 2013
Observation date: Jun 03, 2013
Submitted by: crprice
Region: Ripley County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: Phillip E. Koenig
Verified date: Jun 21, 2013
Observation date: Jul 29, 2012
Submitted by: CA Ivy
Region: Adair County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Mar 19, 2013
Observation date: Sep 15, 2012
Submitted by: vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny)
Region: Bibb County, Alabama, United States
Verified by: vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny)
Verified date: Dec 01, 2012
Observation date: Apr 10, 2012
Submitted by: vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny)
Region: Baldwin County, Alabama, United States
Verified by: vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny)
Verified date: Dec 01, 2012
Observation date: Aug 25, 2012
Submitted by: vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny)
Region: Cleburne County, Alabama, United States
Verified by: vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny)
Verified date: Dec 01, 2012
Observation date: Sep 22, 2012
Submitted by: vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny)
Region: DeKalb County, Alabama, United States
Verified by: vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny)
Verified date: Dec 01, 2012
Observation date: May 19, 2012
Submitted by: vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny)
Region: Bibb County, Alabama, United States
Verified by: vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny)
Verified date: Dec 01, 2012
Observation date: Aug 25, 2012
Submitted by: vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny)
Region: Cleburne County, Alabama, United States
Verified by: vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny)
Verified date: Dec 01, 2012
Observation date: Aug 11, 2012
Submitted by: vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny)
Region: Baldwin County, Alabama, United States
Verified by: vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny)
Verified date: Dec 01, 2012
Observation date: Jul 04, 2012
Submitted by: schmev24
Region: Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: sharonstichter2
Verified date: Nov 09, 2012
Observation date: Jul 28, 2012
Submitted by: schmev24
Region: Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: sharonstichter2
Verified date: Nov 09, 2012
Observation date: Oct 03, 2012
Submitted by: AJ Trently
Region: Lewis County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: stephen stedman
Verified date: Oct 06, 2012
Observation date: Jul 28, 2012
Submitted by: TSims
Region: Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 22, 2012
Observation date: Jun 06, 2011
Submitted by: Naseem Reza
Region: Richmond, Virginia, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 09, 2012
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