The long dash has a wingspan of 1-1.5 (2.5-3.2 cm) inches.
The male long dash’s upperside is a bright orange-brown with a brown border around its forewings and hindwings. He has a diagonal brown dash across his forewings. The female’s upperside is brown with dull orange or gold shading at the edge of the forewings.
Both the male and female have a rusty-yellow underside with a band of yellow spots along the edge of their hindwings.
The long dash is found in open, wet areas like meadows, marshes, streamsides, and wood edges.
The long dash caterpillar eats bluegrass and sedges.
The adult eats nectar from the flowers of milkweed, mountain laurel, and tick trefoil.
Mating occurs from May to August. The male long dash perches in low grassy areas or stream beds and waits for a female.
The female lays one egg at a time on the leaves of a host plant. The caterpillar is brown with short black hair.
Support for NatureWorks Redesign is provided by:
The long dash is found throughout New Hampshire.
The long dash is found from southern British Columbia east to Nova Scotia in Canada and throughout the northern United States as well as in Colorado 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.
