Juba Skipper (Hesperia juba [Scudder])
Wing span: 1 1/4 - 1 5/8 inches (3.2 - 4.2 cm).
Identification: Male is bright orange-brown with a dark border that is toothed inwardly. Female is larger than male, with more and brighter markings. Underside of hindwing is a slightly greenish brown, with large jagged white spots. Basal spot on submarginal row is displaced inwardly.
Life history: To await females, males perch in gulches all day. Females deposit eggs singly on or near the host plant. Caterpillars eat leaves and make nests of silked-together leaves. Probably caterpillars hibernate.
Flight: Two broods from May-June and August-September.
Caterpillar hosts: Slender hairgrass (Deschampsia elongata), needlegrass (Stipa), foxtail brome (Bromus rubens), and bluegrass (Poa pratensis).
Adult food: Nectar from flowers including rabbitbrush.
Habitat: Sagebrush, chaparral, hilly grasslands, open woodland.
Range: British Columbia south to southern California; east to Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and northwest New Mexico.
