Ottoe Skipper

Hesperia ottoe is a year-round resident in the central United States, and just north into Manitoba (Scott 1986). Habitats are grazed mixed-grass to tallgrass prairie on the great plains, and dry fields and prairies near the great lakes. Host plants are grasses with favorite known hosts genera Andropogon, Leptoloma, Bouteloua. Eggs are usually laid on the host plant singly. Individuals overwinter as fourth instar larvae. There is one flight each year with the approximate flight time late June- July 15 and June1-June 30 in the southern part of the range (Scott 1986).

Hesperia ottoe, the Ottoe skipper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae.

It is found in the central U.S. but has been recorded in Canada only in a small area of southern Manitoba.

The wingspan is 29–35 mm. The flight period is from mid-June to early August.

The larvae feed on Poaceae species, Leptoloma cognatum, little bluestem (Andropogon scoparius), and, in Minnesota, on the flowers of purple coneflower (Echinacea angustifolia).