The Hobomok Skipper has a wingspan of 1 to 1.75 inches (2.5-4.4 cm).
It has rounded wings. The uppersides of the male’s wings are orange with irregular dark brown borders. The underside of the hindwing has a gold band.
The female has two forms, the normal and the Pocahontas form. The normal form is similar, but duller than the male. The Pocahontas form is a dark purplish-brown with cream spots. In both female forms, the underside of the hindwing has a slight purplish tint at the outer edge.
The Hobomok Skipper caterpillar eats a variety of grasses, including panic grasses and bluegrasses.
The adult Hobomok Skipper eats nectar from flowers, including common milkweed, red clover, cow vetch, henbit, viper’s bugloss, and blackberry.
The female Hobomok Skipper lays single eggs on the leaves of a host grass plant. There is one brood a year.
The Hobomok Skipper is a strong flyer and takes off quickly when startled.
While their main food is flower nectar, Hobomok Skippers—like many other butterflies and skippers—also practice a behavior called “mud-puddling.”
This is when they gather on damp soil, mud, or wet sand to drink water and absorb important minerals like salts and nutrients that they can’t get from nectar alone.
Support for NatureWorks is provided by:
The Hobomok Skipper is found in New Hampshire.
The Hobomok Skipper is found from Alberta, Canada, east to Nova Scotia, Canada, and south to Florida, Missouri, Oklahoma, and New Mexico.
NHPBS inspires one million Granite Staters each month with engaging and trusted local and national programs on-air, online, in classrooms and in communities.
