North American Butterflies and Moths List

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Butterflies of North America

Butterflies of Montana

Sonora Skipper (Polites sonora)
JPG -- species photo

Sonora Skipper (Polites sonora [Scudder])

Wing span: 1 - 1 1/4 inches (2.5 - 3.2 cm).

Identification: Upperside is reddish-orange with a wide, light brown border. Male forewing has a wide black stigma. Hindwing has a light band of separate spots; band is more diffuse in female. Underside of hindwing varies from brown to greenish-brown, and has a narrow yellow-white band which may be composed of separate spots.

Life history: To wait for females, males perch in depressions in meadows all day.

Flight: One brood from June-August.

Caterpillar hosts: Possibly Idaho fescue (Festuca idahoensis).

Adult food: Nectar from flowers including white-flowered thistles.

Habitat: From sea level to 11,000 feet in coastal plains, streamsides, wet areas in high plains, and moist mountain meadows.

Range: Southern British Columbia south to southern California; east to Idaho, Wyoming, and Colorado.

Conservation: Not usually required.

The Nature Conservancy Global Rank: G4 - Apparently secure globally, though it might be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.

Management needs: None reported.

References:

Scott, J. A. 1986. The butterflies of North America. Stanford University Press, 
     Stanford, Calif. 583 pages, 64 color plates.

Stanford, R. E. and P. A. Opler. 1993. Atlas of western USA butterflies including 
     adjacent parts of Canada and Mexico. Denver and Fort Collins, CO. 

Tilden, J. W. 1986. A field guide to western butterflies. Houghton-Mifflin Co., 
     Boston, Mass. 370 pages, 23 color plates.

Author: Jane M. Struttmann

State and Regional References:

Elrod, M.J. 1906. The Butterflies of Montana. Bulletin of the University of
     Montana 30: 1-174.

Ferris, C.D. and F.M. Brown. 1980. Butterflies of the Rocky Mountain States. 
     University of Oklahoma Press. Norman.

Layberry, R.A., Hall, P.W. & Lafontaine, D.J., 1998.  The Butterflies of 
     Canada.  University of Toronto Press, Toronto, ON.  280 pp. 

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.
Sonora Skipper (Polites sonora)
distribution map
map legend

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