Rare Skipper (Problema bulenta [Boisduval & LeConte])
Wing span: 1 1/2 - 2 1/8 inches (3.9 - 5.4 cm).
Identification: Upperside is yellow-orange with black borders, which are wider in the female. Underside of forewing is yellow-orange with black on the lower outer edge; hindwing is yellow with no markings.
Life history: Not reported.
Flight: Two broods in May and July-September; possibly one brood in the north.
Caterpillar hosts: Not reported.
Adult food: Nectar from flowers of pickerelweed and swamp milkweed.
Habitat: Brackish river marshes and abandoned rice paddies.
Range: Isolated populations along the Atlantic Coast from southern New Jersey and Maryland south to coastal Georgia. The range was extended into New Jersey during the 1980's.
Conservation: Populations should be conserved wherever found.
The Nature Conservancy Global Rank: G2 - Imperiled globally because of rarity (6 to 20 occurrences), or because of other factors demonstrably making it very vulnerable to extinction throughout its range. (Endangered throughout its range).
Management needs: None reported.
References:
Opler, P. A. and G. O. Krizek. 1984. Butterflies east of the Great Plains. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. 294 pages, 54 color plates. Opler, P. A. and V. Malikul. 1992. A field guide to eastern butterflies. Peterson field guide #4. Houghton-Mifflin Co., Boston. 396 pages, 48 color plates. Scott, J. A. 1986. The butterflies of North America. Stanford University Press, Stanford, Calif. 583 pages, 64 color plates.
Author: Jane M. Struttmann
State and Regional References:
Layberry, R.A., Hall, P.W. & Lafontaine, D.J., 1998. The Butterflies of Canada. University of Toronto Press, Toronto, ON. 280 pp. Opler, P.A. 1998. A field guide to eastern butterflies, revised format. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston.