Broad-winged Skipper

IUCN Red List

not listed

NatureServe

not listed
S4? - Apparently Secure

Minnesota

not listed

Broad-winged Skipper is a common, large, slow-flying, grass skipper. It occurs in the United States and southern Canada east of the Great Plains, but it is mostly absent in the Appalachian Mountains and Cumberland Plateau. There are two subspecies of Poanes viator. Southern Broad-winged Skipper (Poanes viator zizaniae) occurs in sedge meadows, fens, ditches, and other open or shrubby sedge wetlands. It does not occur in Minnesota. Northern Broad-winged Skipper (Poanes viator viator) occurs in a wider variety of habitats, including sedge meadows, fens, and ditches, but also wet meadows, marshes, forested swamps, landfills, and adjacent clearings. It is not uncommon in Minnesota, and it may be locally abundant in larger wetland areas.

Adults are active from late June to early August and feed on flower nectar. Although they will venture into upland areas to forage, they rarely stray far from the wetlands where they hatched. The larvae feed on the leaves of common reed, lake sedge, beaked sedge, and wild rice.

Broad-winged Skipper is one of the three largest skippers in Minnesota. The adult has a 1¼″ to 2″ (32 to 57 mm) wingspan, and it holds its wings at an angle, “like a jet plane,” when at rest. The other two species, Common Checkered-skipper and Silver-spotted Skipper, both rest with their wings held flat.

The forewing is rounded. The upperside of the forewing is dark brown with several orange, yellowish orange, or cream-colored angular spots. The male has no dark stigma. The hindwing is orange with dark brown veins and broad, dark brown borders.

The underside of the hindwing is yellowish orange with a row of pale spots and a stripe that extends from the base through the row of spots. There is usually one spot above and two spots below the stripe.

Size

Wingspan: 1¼″ to 2″ (32 to 57 mm)

Similar Species

Sedge meadows, fens, ditches, wet meadows, marshes, forested swamps, landfills, and adjacent clearings

Season

One generation per year in Minnesota: late June to early August

Behavior

Adults are slow fliers.

Life Cycle

Partially grown caterpillars overwinter.

Larva Food/Hosts

Common reed, lake sedge, beaked sedge, and wild rice

Adult Food

Flower nectar