Windwolf
Crex Meadows Butterflies... Black Dash Skipper
Black Dash
Euphyes conspicua
Wing span: 1 1/4 - 1 5/8 inches (3.2 - 4.2 cm).
Caterpillar hosts: Uptight sedge (Carex stricta), and possibly others.
Habitat: Boggy marshes, wet meadows, and marshy stream banks.
Flight time for Wisconsin is primarily the month of July into early August.
The picture to the right and below are of the same indiviual. This Black Dash Skipper seemed very fresh (newly emerged).
Picture taken July 19, 2009
I found this skipper when I moved to the downhill side of the ditch and off the road. The spring/summer of 2009 has been very dry and lately, allowing more movement on the wet sides of the road.
Other names for this skipper include Dash Skipper, and Great Lakes Sedge Skipper. The Black Dash skipper is its recognized common name.
Butterflies and Moths.org report the Black Dash from Minnesota and Iowa eastward to the atlantic coast. Canada also reports the Black Dash.
The color variation between pictures is a result of sunlight and position. The pictures above were taken on the shaded side of the butterfly showing the darker fuller color.
The chart to the right is my sightings of this skipper on Crex Meadows. I only count the butterflies I am 100% sure of ID on. 2009 is the most comprehensive of my sightings, but has general numbers beyond 5.
Some websites report the number of Black Dash seen in an area can vary by location. Locally, numbers can be quite significant but can drop to relatively few, or even none not far away. This indicates the species is dependent on certain environmental factors to ensure successful reproduction.
The picture to the left is actually up-side down. The skipper had moved to the lower flowers and was nectaring upside down. This resulted in the sunlight reaching the skipper and lightening its appearance. I reversed the position to ease viewing, but wanted to show how the colors change with the lighting.
Picture taken July 19, 2009 and is the same individual.
The underwing pattern of lighter squared spots with the two longer rectangles is a primary part of the ID for this type of skipper. The picture to the right is a close view of this lower hindwing spot pattern.
Another ID point to look for is the very wide black border on the upper view. This Skipper is most like the Dion Skipper from an upper view and can be so alike, they may not be distinguished from the upper view alone.
A clear view of the underside hind wing will provide an adaquate ID. A view of only the upper wing is not a clear ID point.
Black Dash Taxonomy
| Kingdom | Animalia | (Animals) |
| Phylum | Arthropoda | (Arthropods) |
| Superclass | Hexapoda | (Hexapods) |
| Class | Insecta | (Insects) |
| Subclass | Pterygota | (Winged Insects) |
| Order | Lepidoptera | (Butterflies and Moths) |
| Superfamily | Papilionoidea | (Butterflies) |
| Family | Hesperiidae | (Skippers) |
| Subfamily | Hesperiinae | (Grass Skippers) |
| Genus | Euphyes | |
| Species | conspicua | (Black Dash Skipper) |