# Woodland Skipper

*Ochlodes sylvanoides*

Skippers are named for their rapid, erratic, and powerful flight patterns that look like they are 'skipping' through the air.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Lepidoptera › Hesperiidae › Ochlodes
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** forest
- **Habitat:** Open wooded areas, forest edges, clearings, meadows, and suburban gardens.
- **Diet:** Adults feed on nectar from flowers like asters and thistles; larvae consume various perennial grasses.
- **Range:** Western North America, British Columbia, California, Rocky Mountains
- **Size:** Small; wingspan ranges from 25 to 32 mm (1 to 1.25 inches).
- **Lifespan:** Approximately 1 year, with the adult butterfly phase lasting 2-3 weeks.
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Habitat fragmentation, loss of native host grasses, and excessive use of garden pesticides.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless. These butterflies pose no threat to humans. Observe from a distance to enjoy their rapid flight; do not attempt to catch or handle them as their wing scales are extremely fragile. No medical attention is required for contact.

## About

Ochlodes sylvanoides , the woodland skipper , is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found in North America from British Columbia south to southern California, east to Montana, Colorado and Arizona.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/631286c7-a550-4e5f-9aac-481c928209a9
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/59194
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ochlodes sylvanoides
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/427996877/medium.jpeg (Gavin Slater, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.