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 73 - 96 of 228 verified sightings
Observation date: May 10, 1947
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (A.H. Clark)
Region: Augusta County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (R. de Jong)
Verified date: Oct 29, 2008
Observation date: May 01, 1956
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (R.S. Simmons)
Region: Allegany County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (R. de Jong)
Verified date: Oct 29, 2008
Observation date: May 05, 1907
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (E.J. Shoemaker)
Region: Passaic County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (R. de Jong)
Verified date: Oct 29, 2008
Observation date: Jul 26, 1983
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (S.J. Kohler)
Region: Carbon County, Montana, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (S.J. Kohler)
Verified date: Oct 29, 2008
Observation date: Jul 19, 1949
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (D. Eff)
Region: Boulder County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (R. de Jong)
Verified date: Oct 29, 2008
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (W.F. Fiske)
Region: Polk County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (R. de Jong)
Verified date: Oct 29, 2008
Observation date: Apr 22, 1976
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (R.S. Simmons)
Region: Allegany County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (R. de Jong)
Verified date: Oct 29, 2008
Observation date: May 04, 1974
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (L.J. Melton)
Region: Allegany County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (R. de Jong)
Verified date: Oct 29, 2008
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Passaic County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (R. de Jong)
Verified date: Oct 29, 2008
Observation date: Jun 24, 1967
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (S.W. Gross)
Region: Boulder County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (R. de Jong)
Verified date: Oct 29, 2008
Observation date: Jun 28, 1941
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (R. Whitaker)
Region: Lake County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (R. de Jong)
Verified date: Oct 29, 2008
Observation date: Jul 15, 2004
Submitted by: stevekohler (Steve Kohler)
Region: Granite County, Montana, United States
Verified by: stevekohler (Steve Kohler)
Verified date: Jan 23, 2008
Observation date: Jul 11, 2007
Submitted by: stevekohler (Steve Kohler)
Region: Teton County, Montana, United States
Verified by: stevekohler (Steve Kohler)
Verified date: Jan 23, 2008
Observation date: Apr 11, 2005
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Ted Wilcox)
Region: Ashe County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: harrylegrand (Harry LeGrand)
Verified date: Oct 25, 2006
Observation date: Apr 17, 2005
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Will Cook)
Region: Alleghany County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: harrylegrand (Harry LeGrand)
Verified date: Oct 25, 2006
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Emmet County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Las Animas County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Wexford County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Uintah County, Utah, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Gunnison County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Beaverhead County, Montana, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Mineral County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Saguache County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
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