Polites vibex
Size:
Wingspan is 1 - 1 1/2 inches.
Similar Species:
Fiery Skipper
Habitat:
Sunny dry fields, roadsides, power line clearings, dunes, pine savannas,
forest openings and gardens.
Range/Abundance:
Common in the sandhills and central
coastal plain. Rare or uncommon in the piedmont. Not recorded in WV.
Flight Period:
Adults fly from mid April until early November in three broods with gaps
between broods.
Larval Host Plants:
Grasses including Bermuda Grass Cynodon dactylon, St. Augustine
Grass Stenotaphrum secundatum, and Thin Paspalum Paspalum
setaceum
Comments:
Named for the speed and direction in which it flies.
The top and third photos were taken along the Lumber River in Columbus Co., NC on May 17, 2003. The second photo was taken in Columbus Co., NC on October 27, 2002. The bottom photo was taken in Francis Marion National Forest in Berkley Co., SC on May 04, 2003.
