Umber Skipper (Poanes melane [W. H. Edwards])
Wing span: 1 1/4 - 1 3/8 inches (3.2 - 3.5 cm).
Identification: Upperside is umber brown; forewing with darker disc and pale spots; hindwing with a light yellow-brown band. Female is larger and lighter colored. Underside resembles upperside but spots are larger and lighter; forewing base is black.
Life history: Males perch in grassy areas to wait for receptive females. Caterpillars feed on leaves and live in shelters of rolled or tied leaves.
Flight: Two broods from March-May and September-October.
Caterpillar hosts: Various grasses including tufted hairgrass (Deschampsia caespitosa), Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon), California brome (Bromus carinatus); and sedges including San Diego sedge (Carex spissa).
Adult food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Desert foothills, grassy areas, streamsides, roadsides, yards, parks, open oak woodland.
Range: California west of the Sierra Nevada Divide; southern Arizona; Baja California and the highlands of Mexico and Central America.
