Least Skipper
Ancyloxypha numitor (Fabricius, 1793)
Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Hesperiinae
Identification: Antennae are short. Upperside of forewing is orange with a wide, diffuse black border at the outer margin; hindwing is yellow-orange with a wide black margin. Underside of forewing is black with orange borders at the tip and leading edge; hindwing is yellow-orange.
Wing Span: 7/8 - 1 1/8 inches (2.2 - 2.9 cm).
Life History: Males patrol for females with a low, fluttery flight through grassy areas. Females lay eggs singly on grass blades. Caterpillars feed on leaves and rest in nests of rolled or tied leaves. Third- and fourth-stage caterpillars hibernate.
Flight: Three broods from May-October in most of the range, four broods from February-December in the Deep South and Texas.
Caterpillar Hosts: Various grasses including marsh millet (Zizaniopsis miliacea), rice cutgrass (Leersia oryzoides), and cultivated rice (Oryza sativa).
Adult Food: Flower nectar from low growing plants such as wood sorrel, swamp verbena, pickerelweed, chickory, and white clover.
Habitat: Moist or wet open places with tall grasses, marshes, ditches, slow streams, hillsides, or old fields with tall grasses.
Range: Nova Scotia west to southern Saskatchewan; south through the eastern states to Florida, the Gulf states, Texas, and southeastern Arizona. Strays to central Colorado.
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.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 193 - 216 of 4876 verified sightings
Observation date: Sep 17, 2015
Submitted by: gunhilda
Region: Dare County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 09, 2020
Observation date: May 21, 2018
Submitted by: nceh
Region: Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 07, 2020
Observation date: Aug 29, 2020
Submitted by: jofritz
Region: Otter Tail County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Dec 06, 2020
Observation date: Jul 24, 2019
Submitted by: Niki Robertson
Region: Wake County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 06, 2020
Observation date: Aug 13, 2019
Submitted by: sam_hartzler
Region: Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Dec 02, 2020
Observation date: Sep 07, 2020
Submitted by: ChrissyL
Region: Sullivan County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: dbruce
Verified date: Nov 28, 2020
Observation date: Sep 04, 2020
Submitted by: Ohio97
Region: Montgomery County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Oct 19, 2020
Observation date: Oct 11, 2020
Submitted by: Jonathan Clark
Region: La Salle Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 17, 2020
Observation date: Aug 09, 2020
Submitted by: hollyhoitink
Region: Winnebago County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Oct 04, 2020
Observation date: Sep 15, 2020
Submitted by: yardbird
Region: Tioga County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 16, 2020
Observation date: Sep 15, 2020
Submitted by: yardbird
Region: Bradford County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 16, 2020
Observation date: Sep 12, 2020
Submitted by: Jeff Trahan
Region: Franklin Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 15, 2020
Observation date: Sep 27, 2019
Submitted by: Jonathan Clark
Region: Catahoula Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 05, 2020
Observation date: Aug 30, 2020
Submitted by: Chris Blomme
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Sep 04, 2020
Observation date: Jun 14, 2020
Submitted by: Jonathan Clark
Region: Catahoula Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 03, 2020
Observation date: Aug 02, 2020
Submitted by: Jonathan Clark
Region: Grant Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 03, 2020
Observation date: Sep 02, 2020
Submitted by: Jonathan Clark
Region: Catahoula Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 03, 2020
Observation date: Aug 01, 2020
Submitted by: David Badger
Region: Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 01, 2020
Observation date: Jul 22, 2020
Submitted by: greggra
Region: Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 29, 2020
Observation date: Aug 29, 2020
Submitted by: greggra
Region: Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 29, 2020
Observation date: Aug 22, 2020
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Georgetown County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 23, 2020
Observation date: Aug 20, 2020
Submitted by: Mark Plessner
Region: Lucas County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 22, 2020
Observation date: Aug 21, 2020
Submitted by: CathK
Region: Albany County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 21, 2020
Observation date: Jul 06, 2020
Submitted by: kristenej
Region: Westchester County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 21, 2020
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