Least skipper facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Least skipper
Two least skippers mating
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Hesperiidae
Subfamily:	Hesperiinae
Genus:	Ancyloxypha
Binomial name
Ancyloxypha numitor (Fabricius, 1793)

upper side of the wings

underside of the wings

The least skipper (Ancyloxypha numitor) is a small butterfly that belongs to the skipper family. It lives naturally in North America. These butterflies are known for their gentle, bouncy way of flying.

You can often find least skippers in damp or wet places where tall grasses grow. In cooler northern areas, you might see adult butterflies from May to September. In warmer southern areas, they can be seen from February to December. In southern Florida, you might even spot them all year long!

What Does the Least Skipper Look Like?

The least skipper has rounded wings and a thin body. Their antennae look like they have a checkered pattern and do not have hooks. Male least skippers do not have special scent scales called stigmata.

The top side of their upper wings is dark brown. Sometimes, it has a bit of orange color. The bottom wing is orange with a dark brown edge. The underside of both wings is a bright orange. The veins on the bottom wing are a whitish color. This butterfly's wingspan (how long its wings are from tip to tip) is about ¾ to 1 inch.

Least Skipper Life Cycle

Male least skippers search for females among tall grasses. Females lay their eggs one at a time. They place them on the specific plants that their caterpillars will eat. These eggs are a pale yellow color.

The caterpillar builds a small nest using grass and silk. The caterpillar itself is green. It has four pairs of white wax glands on its belly, near the underside. Its head is usually brown or tan, often darker in the middle. The area between its head and body has a white stripe and a black stripe.

When the caterpillar changes into a chrysalis, it is a creamy color with brown marks. The caterpillar will hibernate (sleep through the winter) to survive the cold. Least skippers usually have 2 to 4 groups of babies (called broods) each year.

Plants Least Skippers Eat

Here are some of the plants that least skipper caterpillars like to feed on:

• cogongrass, Imperata species
• rice cutgrass, Leersia oryzoides
• cultivated rice, Oryza sativa
• Panicum species
• bluegrass, Poa species
• Setaria species
• cordgrass, Spartina species
• marsh millet, Zizaniopsis miliacea

Butterflies Similar to the Least Skipper

There are a few other butterflies that look quite similar to the least skipper. These include:

• the European skipper (Thymelicus lineola)
• the tropical least skipper (Ancyloxypha arene)
• the orange skipperling (Copaeodes aurantiaeca)
• the southern skipperling (Copaeodes minima)