Description
The Uncas Skipper (Hesperia uncas) is a small, pale brown butterfly with faint orange markings and a checkered fringe along the wing edges, typically found in arid grasslands, sagebrush areas, and open prairies across western North America.
Range
Once found in the Anoka Sand Plains but appears to have become extinct in Minnesota. That population was a remnant in a very small area, but the species is common in the western US.
Similar Species
None.
Host Plants
Main larval host plants: Blue Grama (Bouteloua gracilis), Needlegrass (Stipa spp.), Buffalograss (Bouteloua dactyloides), Hairgrass (Deschampsia spp.). IN Minnesota it’s thought to have fed on hairy grama (Bouteloua hirsuta)
Flight
In the Western US, it flies from May to September. It’s unknown exactly what the flight period was in Minnesota before being extirpated, but sources say June-July.