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