''Pyrgus centaureae wyandot'', the Appalachian grizzled skipper, is a small, brown, gray and white butterfly known to inhabit parts of the

Appalachian highlands The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...

and

Northern Michigan Northern Michigan, also known as Northern Lower Michigan (known colloquially to residents of more southerly parts of the state and summer residents from cities such as Detroit as " Up North"), is a region of the U.S. state of Michigan. A popul ...

. It can be identified by its characteristic checkered wing pattern formed by the scales on the fore- and hindwings. The butterflies are known to prefer sites with minimal vegetation, such as open areas in hardwood forests, as well as sites of recent disturbance. The skipper's main larval food plants include Canada cinquefoil (''

Potentilla canadensis Potentilla canadensis, the dwarf cinquefoil, is a species of cinquefoil (genus ''Potentilla'') native to North America. The Iroquois take a pounded infusion of the roots as an antidiarrheal. The Natchez Natchez may refer to: Places * Natchez, ...

'') and wild strawberry (''

Fragaria virginiana ''Fragaria virginiana'', known as Virginia strawberry, wild strawberry, common strawberry, or mountain strawberry, is a North American strawberry that grows across much of the United States and southern Canada. It is one of the two species of wi ...

'') depending on the specific population's range. The butterfly is listed as a federal species of concern and holds a stated-endangered title in

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

and

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

Description

The Appalachian grizzled skipper butterfly is a subspecies of the butterfly ''

Pyrgus centaureae The northern grizzled skipper (''Pyrgus centaureae'') is a species of skipper butterfly (family Hesperiidae) with a range in North America from the subarctic to the north, New Mexico to the south, and the Appalachian Mountains to the east. ...

'' or northern grizzled skipper. The Appalachian skipper is characterized by its gray and brown top color, distinctive white checkered markings on the wings and wing edges as well as its unusual flight pattern. The butterflies are known to grow anywhere from around 29 to 33 millimeters in size. The grizzled skipper rarely flies above three feet off the ground and does so in quick, jerky movements. The skipper is hard to spot while flying because of its dingy color and its likeness to the exposed ground. When threatened, the butterfly typically lands in the vegetation, making it hard to find for predators.

Habitat

The skipper's preferred habitats are now considered more varied than the original speculation that they only lived in shale barrens. Usually living in openings near pine or oak forests, the butterflies tend to populate sparsely vegetated, often disturbed, barrens with exposed rock or soil. One thing that does seem to remain a constant is the abundance of larval host plants in the populated area. Whether it is cinquefoil or wild strawberry, the grizzled skippers gravitate toward these plants as they act as a source of sustenance for both the butterfly larvae and the adults. A thriving population of Appalachian grizzled skippers was found inhabiting a distinct range of the

Wayne National Forest The Wayne National Forest is located in the south-eastern part of the US state of Ohio, in the Unglaciated Allegheny Plateau. It is the only national forest in Ohio. Forest headquarters are located between The Plains and Nelsonville, Ohio, on ...

in southern Ohio that has recently been developed for a new highway bypass project. Other known disturbed habitats the butterflies frequent are power lines, pipelines, forest roads, fire lanes, clear cuts and south-facing slopes.

Mating and behavior

The Appalachian grizzled skipper is known to mate once a year in the months of April and May. The female lays her eggs on the underside of a host plant and the eggs typically hatch in eight to ten days. During mating season, which is the skipper's most active time of the year, the male patrols the populated area searching for prospective mates.

Status and population decline

The

Ohio Department of Natural Resources The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) is the Ohio state government agency charged with ensuring "a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all." ODNR regulates the oil and gas industry, the m ...

has classified the Appalachian grizzled skipper as a state endangered species due to declining population numbers in the state. One of the main causes of this decline is an unintended reaction to the spraying of pesticides aimed at controlling

gypsy moth ''Lymantria dispar'', also known as the gypsy moth or the spongy moth, is a species of moth in the family Erebidae. ''Lymantria dispar'' is subdivided into several subspecies, with subspecies such as ''L. d. dispar'' and ''L. d. japonica'' bei ...

populations. Many populations of gypsy moths targeted to be sprayed with the insecticide biflubenzuron were unknowingly nested near or with unknown grizzled skipper colonies. This spraying has caused many populations to be

extirpated Local extinction, also known as extirpation, refers to a species (or other taxon) of plant or animal that ceases to exist in a chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere. Local extinctions are contrasted with global extinct ...

in the Appalachian region and the state of New Jersey. Monitoring by conservationist groups coupled with state endangerment protection may prove successful at maintaining the remaining colonies.

References

*Goodrich-Arling, Kathleen. "Protecting the Grizzled Skipper While Spraying to Reduce Gypsy Moth Infestation." Success Stories. U.S. Forest Service, 5 May 2009. Web. 23 Sept. 2012. . *"Grizzled Skipper." Grizzled Skipper. ODNR, n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2012. . *Parshall, David K. "Conservation Assessment for the Southern Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus Centaureae Wyandot)." U.S. Forest Service. U.S.F.S., July 2002. Web. 23 Sept. 2012. . *Pippen, Jeffrey S. Grizzled Skipper. Digital image. Appalachian Grizzled Skipper, Appalachian Checkered Skipper. Duke University, 2007. Web. 23 Sept. 2012. . *"Species: Grizzled Skipper." Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program. State of Pennsylvania, 30 Mar. 2010. Web. 23 Sept. 2012. . *"United States and Canadian Provinces." Map. Encyclopedia of Life. NatureServe, 03 Dec. 2011. Web. 23 Sept. 2012. . United States of America. New Jersey Government. Division of Fish and Wildlife. Appalachian Grizzled Skipper. N.p.: NJ Dep DivFW, n.d. Www.nj.gov. New Jersey Division of Wildlife. Web. 23 Sept. 2012. . {{Taxonbar, from=Q7263573 Pyrgus Butterflies described in 1863 Butterflies of North America Butterfly subspecies