New Jersey Butterfly Club

Crossline Skipper

Polites origenes

Identification: Very small—FW ~0.6". Sexes similar below. Above: Male: Large, black, tapering stigma angles across center of FW rather than paralleling leading edge, and separates orange along leading edge of FW from dark brown remainder of wing (which includes 2 or 3 yellow spots adjacent to the stigma). Female FW is overall dark brown, sometimes with a tawny leading edge, and includes 3 pale "bracelet" spots" toward wingtip, 2 or 3 conspicuous pale spots across center of wing, and a small cell spot. Male HW brown, with paler center that shows branched dark veins. Female HW dark brown with slightly paler or faintly orangey center. Below: Both wings dull brownish, HW with a band of pale postmedian spots that may be conspicuous, faint, or nearly absent. Similar skippers: Tawny-edged is smaller, usually shows more contrast below between dull brown HW and orange on leading edge of FW, and spotband, if present, is usually faint. Tawny-edged male's stigma parallels leading edge of wing; is uniformly thick, not tapering; and there is a single rectangular pale spot at end of stigma. Leading edge of female Tawny-edged FW is brighter than in Crossline.

NJ Status and Distribution: Resident. Widespread and fairly common.

Habitat: Open grassy areas.

Flight Period: One brood in northern counties, early-June to late August. Second brood in central and southern counties flies into late September. Extreme dates: North Jersey 5/11—8/24; South Jersey 5/13—9/28.

Caterpillar Food Plants: Bluegrasses (Poa spp.).

Overwintering Stage: Middle-instar caterpillar.

Good Locations: Schooley’s Mountain CP, Willowwood Arboretum, White Lake NRA, High Point SP, Greenwood Forest WMA, Riverwinds Scenic Trail, Lizard Tail Swamp Preserve, Davies Sports Complex.

Comments: Can be difficult to separate from Tawny-edged Skipper.