Poanes zabulon
Size:
Wingspan is 1 3/8 - 1 5/8 inches.
Similar Species:
Hobomok Skipper (in the mtns)
Clouded Skipper
(female)
Habitat:
Woodland edges, lake or stream edges, sunlit forest trails and roads,
brushy fields, power line and sewer line clearings and sunny openings
near damp woods.
Range/Abundance:
Common in most of the region, uncommon
in the sandhills and coastal plain.
Flight Period:
Adults fly from late April until late September in two broods with a gap
between broods.
Larval Host Plants:
Grasses including lovegrass Eragrostis, purpletop Tridens,
bluegrass Poa, wheatgrass Agropyron, orchardgrass Dactylis,
wildrye Elymus, and bentgrass Agrostis.
Comments:
These fast fliers always make themselves known when you are walking along
sunlit paths. They are very territorial and seem to chase everything that
passes by including humans. They spend a lot of time chasing each other
which helps one to find them and other species they could be chasing as
well.
The top photo was taken in Orange Co., NC on August 20, 2002. The second photo was taken in Orange Co., NC on April 22, 2002. The third photo was taken in Durham Co., NC on August 17, 2003. The bottom photo was taken in Caswell Co., NC on August 04, 2002.
