Lindsey's Skipper (Hesperia lindseyi [Holland])
Wing span: 1 1/8 - 1 1/4 inches (2.9 - 3.2 cm).
Identification: Upperside of male is bright yellow-orange with a narrow dark border and few pale spots. Upperside of female is duller with more light spots; those on the forewing are transparent. Underside of both sexes is light- to greenish-orange. Hindwing has pale veins and a band of large irregular pale spots.
Life history: To find receptive females, males patrol all day above the grass with a slow flight, and sometimes perch. Females lay eggs singly on tree lichens (Usnea florida) or lupine (Lupinus bicolor); the eggs overwinter. Caterpillars emerge in the spring and feed on leaves, making shelters of leaves tied with silk.
Flight: One brood from May-July.
Caterpillar hosts: Idaho fescue (Festuca idahoensis), California oat grass (Danthonia californica), and rattail fescue (Vulpia megalura).
Adult food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Grassy foothills, chaparral, and oak woodland.
Range: Pacific Slope, Oregon south to Riverside County, California.
Conservation: All populations should be conserved wherever they are found.
The Nature Conservancy Global Rank: G3 - Very rare or local throughout its range or found locally in a restricted range (21 to 100 occurrences). (Threatened throughout its range).
