Broad-winged Skipper

This skipper is endemic to the eastern half of the United States.

WSU Vancouver

June 10, 2022

Geography

Range Map

Broad-winged skipper (Poanes viator) is found across the eastern Unites States.

Southern and Atlantic Coast states have one subspecies of the skipper (P. v. zizaniae), and northern populations have another (P. v. viator).

Study Area

Our data focuses on Broad-winged skippers in DuPage County, Illinois.

This site is surveyed by the Illinois Butterfly Monitoring Network which monitors butterfly communities at multiple sites each year.

Natural History

Species interactions

Host Plant

This skipper has a variety of hosts, but in Illinois, their main host is thought to be hairy sedge (Carex lacustris). All populations may be able to used introduced species of reed grass (Phragmites spp.).

Nectar Plants

This butterfly is a nectar generalist, often photographed while visiting flowers.

Other host species

The hosts known to used by populations outside of Illinois include common reed (Phragmites communis), wild rice (Zizania aquatica), and marsh millet (Zizaniopsis miliacea).

Habitat

Broad-winged skippers are found on a large variety of flowers across their range, sometimes congregating on flowers near their natal habitat. They prefer wet habitats, such as marshland or wet meadows.

Population Dynamics

Very little is known about population structure.
The species is fairly widespread, and may be highly mobile.
Studies on dispersal, population sizes, and population structure are needed.

Life Cycle

01 / 05

Life Cycle

There are many life cycle aspects that are uncertain for this skipper, such as if multiple hosts can be used, the degree of host-switching in northern populations, and overwintering stage.

Adults

Adults fly in July-September in Illinois. Late season vagrants, or butterflies seen in an area at the end of the flight period, are frequent.

Caterpillars

It is believed these skippers overwinter as larvae, but the size of caterpillars during hibernation is unclear.

Eggs

Female butterflies lay eggs singly under the leaves of the host plant. The eggshell is consumed by freshly hatched caterpillars.

Chrysalis

This species is a typical skipper that forms a chrysalis in a nest of folded host leaves and silk.

Conservation

Listing Status

Across all populations , there are two subspecies. In Illinois the subspecies (P. v. viator) has been listed as critically imperiled , and this northern subspecies is more at-risk than the southern and coastal populations (P. v. zizaniae). The southern and coastal populations are known to consume exotic reed grass (Phragmites spp.), and this could explain why their populations are more secure.

Broad-winged skippers are most at risk in Illinois and Kentucky, and most secure in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey.

Recovery Efforts

Abundance Surveys and Habitat Maintenance

The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County in Illinois (FPDDC) conducts regular Pollard-walk relative abundance surveys for this species. Conservation efforts for broad-winged skipper habitat include prescribed fire, removing and burning brush, and manual removal of invasive species.

To further inhibit the growth of invasive species, land managers apply herbicide to stumps after removal. Problematic invasives in DuPage County, IL are reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea), autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata), and glossy buckthorn (Rhamnus frangula).

Illinois Wildlife Action Plan

Illinois Wildlife Action Plan has two campaigns to preserve and improve wildlife habitats that include nroad-winged skipper habitat: Wetland Campaign , and Farmland and Prairie Campaign . However, these programs currently only target vertebrate species for conservation, like this blue-spotted salamander from Cook County, IL.

Population Trends

We had one site for broad-winged skippers, and observed an increase in activity index but no change in phenology over time.