Linda's Roadside-Skipper (Amblyscirtes linda H. A. Freeman)
Wing span: 1 1/8 - 1 5/16 inches (2.9 - 3.4 cm).
Identification: Upperside is dark brown with a few light spots; male forewing stigma is obscure. Underside of forewing is deep brown with a black tip; hindwing is black-brown with gray overscales and a band of pale gray spots.
Life history: Females lay eggs singly on the underside of host leaves near the edge. Caterpillars eat leaves, and live and pupate in tents of folded, sealed leaves.
Flight: Two broods from April-July.
Caterpillar hosts: Indian woodoats grass (Chasmanthium latifolia).
Adult food: Nectar from flowers including blackberry.
Habitat: Near woodland streams.
Range: Western Tennessee west through southern Illinois, Missouri, and Arkansas to eastern Oklahoma.
Conservation: Populations and their habitat 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:
Opler, Paul A. 1999. Peterson Field Guide to Western Butterflies, revised edition. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Mass. Stanford, R.E. and P.A. Opler. 1993. Atlas of Western USA Butterflies. Privately published, Denver, Colo. Tilden, J.W. and A.C. Smith. 1986. A Field Guide to Western Butterflies. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Mass.