Long Dash
Limochores mystic
Skippers are named for their rapid, darting flight style, which makes them much harder for predators to track than the slow, flapping flight of typical butterflies.
- Scientific name
- Limochores mystic
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Lepidoptera › Hesperiidae › Limochores
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- wetland
- Habitat
- Damp meadows, marshes, stream banks, and wet grassy fields.
- Diet
- Adults drink nectar from flowers like clover, vetch, and self-heal; larvae feed on various grasses including bluegrass and orchard grass.
- Range
- North America, Southern Canada, Northern United States
- Size
- Wingspan of 2.5 to 3.8 cm (1 to 1.5 inches).
- Lifespan
- Approximately 1 year (total lifecycle); adults typically live 2 to 3 weeks.
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat fragmentation, drainage of wetlands for development, and heavy pesticide use in agricultural runoff.
- Safe to approach?
- Completely harmless to humans. These butterflies are easily startled; move slowly and avoid casting sudden shadows to observe their intricate wing patterns. No medical precautions are necessary.
Limochores mystic , the long dash or long dash skipper , is a species of butterfly. The species is commonly found in north of North America and in mountains in the south of North America, in grassy habitats. The grassy areas include meadows, marshes, streamsides, wood edges, and prairie swales. On the top, the species has dark brown reddish to yellowish-orange markings. The forewing of the female has a broad black patch at the base. The forewing of...
Photo: Shirley Zundell, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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