Grizzled Skipper
Pyrgus centaureae (Rambur, [1842])
Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Pyrginae
Identification: Fringes are checkered. Upperside is gray-black with squarish white checks. Underside of hindwing is gray-brown to black checkered with whitish spots; veins are white. Male has a costal fold enclosing scent scales on the forewing.
Wing Span: 1 - 1 5/16 inches (2.5 - 3.3 cm).
Life History: Males patrol and occasionally perch all day in open areas in their search for receptive females. Eggs are deposited singly on leaves of the host plant. Caterpillars feed within shelters of webbed leaves.
Flight: One brood from March-May in the south, requires 2 years to develop in the subarctic.
Caterpillar Hosts: Wild strawberry (Fragaria virginiana), Canadian cinquefoil (Potentilla canadensis), varileaf cinquefoil (P. diversifolia), and cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus); all in the rose family (Rosaceae).
Adult Food: Nectar from flowers of low-growing plants including blueberry, wild strawberry, and Canadian cinquefoil.
Habitat: Open areas near woods including valley bottoms, barrens, meadows, grassy hillsides, tundra, scrub oak openings.
Range: Holarctic. In North America, from Alaska south and east to central Ontario and northern Michigan. Isolated populations in Labrador and arctic Quebec, the central Appalachians, and the Rocky Mountains from central Alberta south to northern New Mexico.
Conservation: Populations on eastern shale barrens (subspecies wyandot) should be monitored and conserved.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: Determine management needs for subspecies wyandot and implement if necessary.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 222 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 21, 2024
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 29, 2024
Observation date: Jul 21, 2024
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 29, 2024
Observation date: Jul 07, 2024
Submitted by: John Gibbons
Region: Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 07, 2024
Observation date: Jul 16, 2023
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Jan 11, 2024
Observation date: Jul 09, 2023
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: Summit County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Sep 10, 2023
Observation date: Jun 17, 2023
Submitted by: Rick Sinnott
Region: Denali, Alaska, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Aug 21, 2023
Observation date: Jul 14, 2018
Submitted by: Todd Boland
Region: Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Feb 11, 2023
Observation date: Jul 18, 2020
Submitted by: jsaunders260
Region: Matanuska-Susitna, Alaska, United States
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Feb 10, 2023
Observation date: Jun 07, 2019
Submitted by: tylerjkrul
Region: Denali, Alaska, United States
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Feb 07, 2023
Observation date: Jul 15, 2014
Submitted by: Dwaine Wagoner
Region: Summit County, Utah, United States
Verified by: RaisingButterfl...
Verified date: Dec 12, 2022
Observation date: Jul 05, 2019
Submitted by: Liz Osborn
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 14, 2022
Observation date: Aug 04, 2009
Submitted by: Cascade Colors
Region: Larimer County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Jul 08, 2022
Observation date: Jul 26, 2021
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: Taos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Mar 11, 2022
Observation date: Jul 22, 2021
Submitted by: twofried
Region: Taos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 28, 2021
Observation date: Jun 15, 2020
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: Conejos County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Nov 23, 2020
Observation date: Jul 18, 2007
Submitted by: Jay Cossey
Region: Manitoba, Canada
Verified by: chalicerae
Verified date: Jul 08, 2020
Observation date: Aug 09, 2019
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: Gunnison County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Dec 23, 2019
Observation date: Jul 26, 2019
Submitted by: Christian.Nunes
Region: Hinsdale County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Oct 05, 2019
Observation date: Jul 20, 2019
Submitted by: Christian.Nunes
Region: Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Oct 05, 2019
Observation date: Jun 30, 2019
Submitted by: Diane R Halpin
Region: Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jul 11, 2019
Observation date: Jul 06, 2018
Submitted by: Paul Prappas
Region: Alberta, Canada
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Nov 24, 2018
Observation date: Jul 07, 2007
Submitted by: hydapse
Region: Park County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Aug 07, 2018
Observation date: Jul 19, 2017
Submitted by: wallap74
Region: San Juan County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Dec 28, 2017
Observation date: Jun 27, 2016
Submitted by: crx2aj3
Region: Alberta, Canada
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Nov 15, 2017
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