Family: Skippers (Hesperiidae)

Subfamily: Grass Skippers (Hesperiinae)

Identification: Fringes are cream-colored and not checkered, head and palpi are orange. Upperside is brown-black with no markings; male forewing has a small black stigma. Underside is dark brown with no markings.

Life history: To wait for receptive females, males perch all day in bare depressions in gulches.

Flight: One brood from June-August.

Wing span: 7/8 - 1 1/8 inches (2.2 - 2.9 cm).

Caterpillar hosts: Not reported.

Adult food: Flower nectar.

Habitat: Open woodland and grassland.

Range: The Rocky Mountains of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and west Texas.

Conservation: Not usually required.

NatureServe Global Status: G4 - Apparently secure globally, though it might be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.

Management needs: None reported.