The Crossline Skipper is widely distributed, ranging from New England west to Montana, south to New Mexico, and east to Georgia. It inhabits a variety of open habitats, including meadows, roadsides, and grassy fields.

The underside of the wings is pale olive brown, with a crescent-shaped band of faint light spots in the post-medial region of the hindwing. In females, these hindwing spots can be very pale or sometimes absent altogether.

On the upperside, the male’s forewing is olive brown with a tawny orange cell and costal area, along with three or four light beige spots in the post-medial area.

 

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Crossline Skipper Facts

Butterfly Family: Skipper (Hesperiidae)

Butterfly Subfamily: Hesperiinae

Butterfly Wingspan: 1 1/8 – 1 1/2 inches

Butterfly Habitat: Open grassy areas including prairie hills, barrens, power line cuts, old fields, and forest openings

 

🪴 Host Plants

These are the native grasses where females lay eggs and caterpillars feed:

• Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii)

• Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)

• Purpletop Tridens (Tridens flavus)

• Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum)

 

🌸 Nectar Plants

Adult Crossline Skippers feed on nectar from the following native flowers:

• Asters (Symphyotrichum spp.)

• Blazing Star (Liatris spp.)

• Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)

• Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)

• Dogbane (Apocynum spp.)

• Goldenrod (Solidago spp.)

• Ironweed (Vernonia spp.)

• Joe-Pye Weed (Eutrochium spp.)

• Mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum)

• Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum spp.)

• New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus)

• Phlox (Phlox spp.)

• Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)

• Tennessee Coneflower (Echinacea tennesseensis)

• Thistles (Cirsium spp.)