New Jersey Butterfly Club

Leonard's Skipper

Hesperia leonardus

Identification: Small—FW ≥0.65" (but large for a grass-skipper). Sexes similar below. Above: Male FW has smallish orange field crossed by black stigma and an adjoining rectangular dark block, plus several small orange spots in wide, dark trailing edge. Female FW is blackish-brown with a prominent transverse row of blocky pale to orangey spots. Below: HW varies from bright rusty to chestnut, with a bold postmedian chevron of blocky white or cream-colored spots and a single central spot. Similar skippers: Broad-winged Skipper is even larger than Leonard’s and may be rusty-brown when fresh, but the variable markings on the ventral HW are usually rather vague compared to the bold chevron of Leonard’s. Black Dash is close to Leonard’s in size and similarly rusty, but has a blurred, ”chunky” mark on the ventral HW. Neither species shares the same habitat as Leonard’s, and the flight period of Black Dash is mostly done by the time Leonard’s appears in late summer.

NJ Status and Distribution: Resident. Classified as Special Concern in NJ but merits Endangered status. Rare and very local in Sussex and Warren counties. Not reported from South Jersey since 2013.

Habitat: Dry, rather barren grasslands and ridgetop balds dominated by Little Bluestem Grass.

Flight Period: One brood from mid-August to late September. Extreme dates: North Jersey 8/8—9/28; South Jersey 8/24—9/23 (18 records, not reported from South Jersey since 2013).

Caterpillar Food Plants: Mainly Little Bluestem Grass (Schizachyrium scoparium), and other bluestems and beardgrasses (Andropogon).

Overwintering Stage: First-instar caterpillar.

Good Locations: High Point SP in Sussex County is the only reliable location with public access.

Comments: One of our rarest resident grass-skippers.