Edwards' Skipperling (Oarisma edwardsii [Barnes])
Wing span: 7/8 - 1 1/8 inches (2.2 - 2.9 cm).
Identification: Fringes are white-tipped. Upperside is brownish orange; forewing cell is brighter. Underside of forewing is brownish orange with black at the lower margin. Underside of hindwing is yellowish with orange on the lower margin.
Life history: To find receptive females, males patrol the habitat with rapid flight.
Flight: One brood in the Rocky Mountains from June-August; multiple broods in west Texas from April-September.
Caterpillar hosts: Possibly sedges (Cyperaceae) or grasses (Poaceae).
Adult food: Nectar from flowers including thistle (Cirsium species).
Habitat: Chaparral, open woodland, grasslands, meadows.
Range: Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and west Texas south to Puebla, Mexico.
