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 73 - 96 of 1766 verified sightings
Observation date: Aug 22, 2020
Submitted by: TSims
Region: Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 26, 2020
Observation date: Jul 13, 2020
Submitted by: kristenej
Region: Westchester County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 21, 2020
Observation date: Aug 18, 2020
Submitted by: yardbird
Region: Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 19, 2020
Observation date: Jul 02, 2020
Submitted by: LauraMaskell
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Aug 16, 2020
Observation date: Jul 11, 2020
Submitted by: barthsm
Region: Erie County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 12, 2020
Observation date: Jul 08, 2020
Submitted by: David Badger
Region: Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 09, 2020
Observation date: Jul 01, 2020
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Jackson County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 09, 2020
Observation date: Jun 03, 2020
Submitted by: webielenberg
Region: Blount County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: dbruce
Verified date: Jun 04, 2020
Observation date: Sep 28, 2019
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: Orangeburg County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Sep 30, 2019
Observation date: Sep 22, 2019
Submitted by: p_stritch
Region: Berkeley County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Sep 22, 2019
Observation date: Sep 07, 2019
Submitted by: robert.emond
Region: Liberty County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Sep 14, 2019
Observation date: Aug 31, 2019
Submitted by: p_stritch
Region: Berkeley County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 31, 2019
Observation date: Aug 27, 2019
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Livingston County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 30, 2019
Observation date: Aug 22, 2019
Submitted by: Robert Nelson
Region: Baxter County, Arkansas, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Aug 22, 2019
Observation date: Aug 19, 2019
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 20, 2019
Observation date: Aug 09, 2019
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 19, 2019
Observation date: Jul 14, 2019
Submitted by: sam_hartzler
Region: Wayne County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 18, 2019
Observation date: Aug 04, 2019
Submitted by: Carol Thornton-...
Region: Orange County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: Howell_Curtis
Verified date: Aug 07, 2019
Observation date: Jul 31, 2019
Submitted by: Michiganbirder19
Region: Genesee County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 01, 2019
Observation date: Jul 26, 2019
Submitted by: Birder13
Region: Genesee County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 26, 2019
Observation date: Jul 02, 2019
Submitted by: John Demko
Region: Aiken County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Jul 04, 2019
Observation date: Jun 17, 2019
Submitted by: CA Ivy
Region: Franklin County, Arkansas, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jun 26, 2019
Observation date: Jun 21, 2019
Submitted by: Michiganbirder19
Region: Genesee County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jun 21, 2019
Observation date: Jun 07, 2019
Submitted by: Beverly 54
Region: Montgomery County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jun 15, 2019
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