Sandhill Skipper
Polites sabuleti (Boisduval, 1852)
Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Hesperiinae
Identification: Common and quite variable. Upperside of male is yellow-orange with dark toothed borders and a sinuous stigma on the forewing. Upperside of female has heavier dark markings and almost transparent light spots; no stigma. Underside of the hindwing in both sexes is yellow-tan with yellow veins, dark chevrons between the veins at the outer margin, and dark spots at the vein ends.
Wing Span: 7/8 - 1 1/4 inches (2.2 - 3.2 cm).
Life History: To watch for females, males perch all day in low grassy areas. Females deposit eggs singly on the host or on nearby plants. Caterpillars feed on leaves and take shelter in nests of tied leaves. Chrysalids hibernate.
Flight: One flight from June-August at high elevations; several flights from March-October in the south and at low elevations.
Caterpillar Hosts: Various grasses including Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon), bluegrass (Poa pratensis), desert salt grass (Distichlis spicata var. stricta), sand lovegrass (Eragrostis trichodes), rough bentgrass (Agrostis scabra), Idaho fescue (Festuca idahoensis), and alpine fescue (Festuca brachyphylla).
Adult Food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Alkali grasslands, moist meadows, lawns, salt marshes, sand dunes, sagebrush flats, and alpine fell-fields.
Range: Southern British Columbia and eastern Washington south through California and northern Arizona to Baja California; east to southeastern Wyoming, central Colorado, and northeastern New Mexico.
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.
Comments: NULL
Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 463 verified sightings
Observation date: Apr 03, 2020
Submitted by: sarabseth
Region: Contra Costa County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Apr 13, 2020
Observation date: Aug 17, 2017
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: Taos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Mar 24, 2020
Observation date: Sep 06, 2016
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: San Juan County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Mar 24, 2020
Observation date: Oct 22, 2019
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: San Luis Obispo County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Feb 04, 2020
Observation date: Aug 29, 2019
Submitted by: Mapper
Region: Adams County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Sep 22, 2019
Observation date: Aug 16, 2019
Submitted by: Jdammarell
Region: Lincoln County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Aug 28, 2019
Observation date: Aug 10, 2019
Submitted by: Thomlinson
Region: Los Angeles County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 25, 2019
Observation date: Aug 19, 2019
Submitted by: Lisahug
Region: Marin County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 20, 2019
Observation date: Jun 12, 2019
Submitted by: Kristie Nelson
Region: Mono County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 20, 2019
Observation date: Jul 02, 2019
Submitted by: Martin Neil UK
Region: Fremont County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jul 16, 2019
Observation date: May 28, 2019
Submitted by: Jdammarell
Region: Lincoln County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jun 06, 2019
Observation date: Sep 11, 2018
Submitted by: Christian.Nunes
Region: Boulder County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Dec 02, 2018
Observation date: Oct 10, 2018
Submitted by: Lisahug
Region: Marin County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 15, 2018
Observation date: Aug 08, 2018
Submitted by: RichHubie
Region: Mendocino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 09, 2018
Observation date: Sep 17, 2018
Submitted by: MAKI
Region: Inyo County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 09, 2018
Observation date: Sep 19, 2018
Submitted by: Lisahug
Region: Humboldt County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 09, 2018
Observation date: Oct 03, 2018
Submitted by: breck7348
Region: San Joaquin County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 08, 2018
Observation date: Sep 17, 2018
Submitted by: MAKI
Region: Inyo County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 24, 2018
Observation date: Jul 28, 2018
Submitted by: glennfine
Region: Siskiyou County, California, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Aug 05, 2018
Observation date: Jul 31, 2018
Submitted by: SMulhearn
Region: Contra Costa County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 03, 2018
Observation date: Jun 29, 2018
Submitted by: glennfine
Region: Siskiyou County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 07, 2018
Observation date: May 27, 2018
Submitted by: glennfine
Region: Siskiyou County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 07, 2018
Observation date: Aug 26, 2017
Submitted by: Mariaheld
Region: Canyon County, Idaho, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jun 19, 2018
Observation date: Aug 17, 2017
Submitted by: Wendy McCrady
Region: Custer County, Idaho, United States
Verified by: stevekohler
Verified date: Jun 19, 2018
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