Whirlabout
Polites vibex (Geyer, 1832)
Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Hesperiinae
Identification: Males and females are very different. Male Upperside is yellow-orange; forewing has a black stigma and neighboring black square patch; black margins of hindwing are smooth inwardly. Underside is yellow-orange; hindwing has a few large blurred black spots. Female: Upperside is dark brown; forewing has a few clear spots. Underside is gray or sooty yellow with a central pale patch outlined with dark scales.
Wing Span: 1 - 1 1/2 inches (2.5 - 3.9 cm).
Life History: Adult flight is quick and darting. Females are usually found in forest openings or edges; males perch to await females during the afternoon. Caterpillars live in a tube of silked-together leaves and feed mostly at night.
Flight: Two broods from April-September in the north; all year in Florida and South Texas.
Caterpillar Hosts: Grasses including Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon), St. Augustine grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum), and thin paspalum (Paspalum setaceum).
Adult Food: Nectar from flowers including shepherd\'s needle and lantana.
Habitat: Scrubby or open habitats including dunes, fields, pinewoods, roadsides, forest openings, yards, and parks.
Range: Southeastern United States and the West Indies south through eastern Mexico and central America to Argentina. Periodically strays north to northeast Iowa, northern Ohio, and Connecticut.
Conservation: Not 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 594 verified sightings
Observation date: Jun 27, 2020
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe (Jerry Bright)
Region: Calhoun County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Jun 29, 2020
Observation date: Jun 18, 2020
Submitted by: Debo Boddiford
Region: Effingham County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Jun 27, 2020
Observation date: Jun 12, 2020
Submitted by: tom howe
Region: Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Jun 16, 2020
Observation date: Jun 13, 2020
Submitted by: kye
Region: Highlands County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jun 13, 2020
Observation date: Jun 02, 2020
Submitted by: Michael Weisensee
Region: Sarasota County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jun 02, 2020
Observation date: May 30, 2020
Submitted by: kye
Region: Highlands County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: May 30, 2020
Observation date: Apr 25, 2020
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Berkeley County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: May 02, 2020
Observation date: Apr 13, 2020
Submitted by: Dr. Z.
Region: Leon County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Apr 15, 2020
Observation date: Apr 05, 2020
Submitted by: TomObrock
Region: Lee County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Apr 06, 2020
Observation date: Mar 02, 2020
Submitted by: cskipper
Region: Marion County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Mar 25, 2020
Observation date: Mar 20, 2020
Submitted by: Michael Weisensee
Region: Charlotte County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Mar 21, 2020
Observation date: May 17, 2019
Submitted by: Jeff Trahan
Region: Vernon Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Mar 14, 2020
Observation date: Feb 25, 2020
Submitted by: TomObrock
Region: Charlotte County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Feb 27, 2020
Observation date: Jan 05, 2020
Submitted by: Eric Wood
Region: Hidalgo County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jan 27, 2020
Observation date: Sep 26, 2019
Submitted by: Kzfisherman
Region: McHenry County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Dec 10, 2019
Observation date: Apr 26, 2017
Submitted by: Debo Boddiford
Region: Allendale County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Nov 04, 2019
Observation date: Sep 23, 2019
Submitted by: Denis Labrecque
Region: Escambia County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Nov 01, 2019
Observation date: Oct 19, 2019
Submitted by: Karen Keil
Region: Pasco County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Oct 20, 2019
Observation date: Sep 14, 2019
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Calhoun County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Sep 20, 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 20, 2019
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Orangeburg County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 23, 2019
Observation date: Aug 20, 2019
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Orangeburg County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 23, 2019
Observation date: May 13, 2019
Submitted by: momsavang
Region: Harris County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Aug 09, 2019
Observation date: Aug 07, 2019
Submitted by: IronShikra
Region: Leon County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 08, 2019
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