''Polites peckius'', the Peck's skipper, is a North American

butterfly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The ...

in the family

Hesperiidae Skippers are a family of the Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) named the Hesperiidae. Being diurnal, they are generally called butterflies. They were previously placed in a separate superfamily, Hesperioidea; however, the most recent taxonomy ...

(skippers), subfamily

Hesperiinae Grass skippers or banded skippers are butterflies of the subfamily Hesperiinae, part of the skipper family, Hesperiidae. The subfamily was established by Pierre André Latreille in 1809. Description and distribution With over 2,000 described sp ...

(grass skippers). This skipper ranges across Canada from

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, as far north as

Cartwright, Labrador Cartwright is a community located on the eastern side of the entrance to Sandwich Bay, along the southern coast of Labrador in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It was incorporated in 1956. Cartwright is the largest settlement in ...

; Moar Lake, Ontario;

Leaf Rapids, Manitoba Leaf Rapids is a town in north west Manitoba, Canada. The town was developed as an experimental model; a model that other northern communities could replicate as they strove for modern convenience and luxury in a northern environment. The communit ...

; and the

Hay River Hay River may refer to: Places * Hay River, Northwest Territories * Hay River, Wisconsin Rivers * Hay River (Wisconsin) * Hay River (Canada), a river in Alberta and Northwest Territories, Canada * Hay River, Northern Territory, Australia * Hay R ...

area in

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

. In the US, it ranges in most of the northern and central states, except on the west coast.

Description

Both sexes have dark brown and yellowish-orange markings as adults. Ventrally, both sexes have a large straw-coloured patch in the middle of the hindwing. This patch helps distinguish it from other ''Polites''. Males are lighter than females, and they have a stigma (round or oval mark) on the forewing. Like other skippers, the ends of the antennae have tiny hooks. The wingspan ranges from 19 to 27 mm.

Behavior and life cycle

Peck's skipper flies from May to October, and produces two or three generations each year. Adults consume

nectar Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectaries or nectarines, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal mutualists ...

from flowers including

red clover ''Trifolium pratense'', the red clover, is a herbaceous species of flowering plant in the bean family Fabaceae, native to Europe, Western Asia, and northwest Africa, but planted and naturalized in many other regions. Description Red clov ...

, purple vetch, and

thistles Thistle is the common name of a group of flowering plants characterised by leaves with sharp prickles on the margins, mostly in the family Asteraceae. Prickles can also occur all over the planton the stem and on the flat parts of the leaves. ...

. They typically live in grassy habitats including meadows, marshes, and roadsides. Similar to other grass skippers, this species commonly rests with the

forewings Insect wings are adult outgrowths of the insect exoskeleton that enable insects to fly. They are found on the second and third thoracic segments (the mesothorax and metathorax), and the two pairs are often referred to as the forewings and hindwi ...

held open in a V shape, while the

hindwings Insect wings are adult outgrowths of the insect exoskeleton that enable insects to fly. They are found on the second and third thoracic segments (the mesothorax and metathorax), and the two pairs are often referred to as the forewings and hindw ...

are held out horizontally to the side. They may also have all four folded together so that only the bottom surfaces are visible. Males perch in sunny open areas to await receptive females, and courtship takes place throughout the day. After mating, females lay single eggs. The caterpillars consume

rice cutgrass ''Leersia oryzoides'' is a species of grass known by the common name rice cutgrass or just cut-grass. It is a widespread grass native to Europe, Asia, and North America and present in many other regions, such as Australia, as an introduced specie ...

, bluegrass and other grasses.

References

External links

Peck's Skipper
Talk about Wildlife {{Taxonbar, from=Q7210158 Butterflies of North America Polites (butterfly) Taxa named by William Kirby (entomologist) Butterflies described in 1837