Windwolf
Crex Meadows Butterflies... Dusted Skipper
Dusted Skipper
Atrytonopsis hianna
The Dusted Skipper is another of the earlier butterflies to emerge in the spring in a frantic effort to reproduce.
The flight time for the Dusted skipper in Wisconsin is mid-May through mid-June.
From my observations of the Dusted Skipper on Crex Meadows, when resting or not feeding and trying to attract mates, the Dusted Skipper stays low to or on the ground.
Picture taken June 11, 2009.
The Dusted Skipper is listed as a Special Concern specie in Wisconsin.
The Dusted Skipper has a S3 state ranking meaning it is Rare or Uncommon in Wisconsin with 21 - 100 occurances.
Most records of this skipper are in the Western half of Wisconsin.
Gaps in county records may indicate a need for more study to determine the true occurance of the Dusted Skipper.
Picture to the left taken June 11, 2009 and is the same individual above.
Wing span: 1 1/4 - 1 11/16 inches (3.2 - 4.3 cm).
Caterpillar hosts: Little bluestem (Schizachryium scoparius) and big bluestem (Andropogon gerardi)..
Caterpillar lives in a tent of leaves sewn together at least a foot above the ground. Fully grown caterpillars hibernate and pupate in a sealed case 1-3 inches above the ground at the base of the host plant.
One brood per year (univoltine).
Habitat: Dry, open sandy areas, dry prairie, pine barrens, old fields and grasslands.
Picture above and to the right taken June 11, 2009 and are of the same Dusted SKipper.
| 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 | Atrytonopsis | |
| Species | hianna | (Dusted Skipper) |
The Dusted Skipper to the right and below were my first Dusted Skippers for 2009. Pictures taken May 29, 2009.
The Dusted Skipper could be confused with the Cobweb Skipper.
Both of these skippers have a white eyebrow.
The Dusted skipper is a brown and the Cobweb (male) has yellow on the upperwing and a black stigma (line), which the Dusted Skipper (male) does not have. Females are the darker brown for the Dusted Skipper and the Cobweb female has the yellowing (light brown) like the male from above.
From below, the Dusted Skipper hindwing will have few or no spots and the Cobweb has spotting often with wavy lines attaching two or more of these spots.