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 121 - 144 of 1766 verified sightings
Observation date: Aug 21, 2016
Submitted by: CA Ivy
Region: Crawford County, Arkansas, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Aug 25, 2016
Observation date: Aug 24, 2016
Submitted by: CA Ivy
Region: Muskogee County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Aug 25, 2016
Observation date: Aug 13, 2016
Submitted by: S. J. Stedman (Susan E. Pirolo)
Region: Putnam County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: S. J. Stedman
Verified date: Aug 22, 2016
Observation date: Aug 13, 2016
Submitted by: Melinda Fawver
Region: Overton County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: S. J. Stedman
Verified date: Aug 15, 2016
Observation date: Jul 24, 2016
Submitted by: wjshawiii
Region: Greene County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: richardhsmith
Verified date: Jul 31, 2016
Observation date: Jul 16, 2016
Submitted by: jvkopple2
Region: Kalkaska County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 17, 2016
Observation date: Jun 25, 2016
Submitted by: betsyp
Region: Niagara County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jun 25, 2016
Observation date: Jun 20, 2016
Submitted by: Joe Bartok
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jun 21, 2016
Observation date: Jun 10, 2016
Submitted by: cblazo
Region: Fulton County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jun 12, 2016
Observation date: Aug 23, 2015
Submitted by: yardbird
Region: Camden County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: Will Kerling
Verified date: Jun 07, 2016
Observation date: Jun 04, 2016
Submitted by: CA Ivy
Region: Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jun 07, 2016
Observation date: Jun 04, 2016
Submitted by: cblazo
Region: Franklin County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jun 06, 2016
Observation date: May 28, 2016
Submitted by: CA Ivy
Region: Logan County, Arkansas, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: May 30, 2016
Observation date: May 05, 2016
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: Liberty County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: May 18, 2016
Observation date: Jun 04, 2011
Submitted by: Mary Franceline...
Region: Powhatan County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: richardhsmith
Verified date: Feb 24, 2016
Observation date: Aug 20, 2011
Submitted by: Naseem Reza
Region: Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Feb 15, 2016
Observation date: Jul 05, 2014
Submitted by: Beverly Carter
Region: Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Feb 05, 2016
Observation date: Jul 05, 2014
Submitted by: Randy Bodkins
Region: Randolph County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Feb 03, 2016
Observation date: Jul 13, 2014
Submitted by: Randy Bodkins
Region: Randolph County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Feb 03, 2016
Observation date: Jul 16, 2012
Submitted by: Rick Henle
Region: Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jan 30, 2016
Observation date: Jul 28, 2011
Submitted by: Naseem Reza
Region: Door County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jan 25, 2016
Observation date: Jun 19, 2015
Submitted by: cblazo
Region: Franklin County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Dec 22, 2015
Observation date: Aug 25, 2015
Submitted by: Pierre Howard
Region: McIntosh County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Oct 15, 2015
Observation date: Aug 25, 2015
Submitted by: AJ Trently
Region: Decatur County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Sep 18, 2015
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