Minnesota Seasons - least skipper

Photo by John Shier

IUCN Red List

not listed

NatureServe

N5 - Secure

S5 - Secure

Minnesota

not listed


	Description
	Least skipper caterpillar is green, slender, and less than ¾″ long. A plate (prothoracic shield) extends across the upper part of the first thoracic segment. The white, forward portion of the shield is about twice as wide as the black, rearward portion. There is a white, two-segmented wax gland along the bottom of each side of abdominal sections 4, 5, and 6. There is a similar, one-segmented wax gland on abdominal segment 7.

	Size
	Wingspan: ¾″ to 1″

	Similar Species



	Habitat
	Wet meadows, marshes, slow streams


	Biology
	Season
	Three broods from early June to late September

	Behavior


	Life Cycle


	Larva Hosts
	Grasses

	Adult Food
	Flower nectar


	Taxonomy
	Order	Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths)
	Suborder	Glossata
	Infraorder	Neolepidoptera
	Parvorder	Heteroneura
	No Rank	Ditrysia
	No Rank	Obtectomera
	Superfamily	Hesperioidea (skippers)
	Family	Hesperiidae (skippers)
	Subfamily	Hesperiinae (grass skippers)
	Genus	Ancyloxypha

	Synonyms
	Ancyloxypha longleyi Hesperia bion Heteropterus marginatus Thymelicus puer

	Common Names
	least skipper


Visitor Photos

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Dan W. Andree

Least Skipper Interesting wings. Different in design compared to other butterflies. Neat little butterfly. I see a fly of some sort also was resting on that leaf too. A little added diversity in the photograph.


John Shier



MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos

Camera


Slideshows

	Least Skipper DianesDigitals

	About Copyright DianesDigitals

	Least Skipper (Ancyloxypha numitor) Bill Keim


	Ancyloxypha numitor (Least Skipper) Allen Chartier

slideshow


Visitor Videos

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Other Videos

	Least Skipper - August 11, 2013 Don Gagnon

	About Published on Aug 12, 2013 Least Skipper (Ancyloxypha numitor), Vegetable Garden, Gagnon Wildlife Habitat, Somerset, Massachusetts, Saturday morning, August 11, 2013, 9:02 AM - Canon PowerShot SX50 HS MVI_39836; 3:08 min.

	Skipper and Honeybee - August 17, 2013 Don Gagnon

	About Published on Aug 23, 2013 Least Skipper (Ancyloxypha numitor) and Western Honey Bee (Apis mellifera), Nectaring "Violet Opera" Dahlia (Dahlia variabilis) Flower, Butterfly Garden, Gagnon Wildlife Habitat, Somerset, Massachusetts, Saturday morning, August 17, 2013, 9:34 AM - Canon PowerShot SX50 HS MVI_41100; 33 sec.

Camcorder


Visitor Sightings

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Dan W. Andree 8/7/2019	Location: It was near a pond and grassy mixed area in rural Norman County, Mn. Interesting wings. Different in design compared to other butterflies. Neat little butterfly. I see a fly of some sort also was resting on that leaf too. A little added diversity in the photograph.

John Shier 7/31/2016	Location: Pine Bend Bluffs SNA




MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings

Maplewood State Park St. Croix Savanna SNA

Binoculars

least skipper