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Long Dash - Polites mystic

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Hesperiidae
Genus: Polites

Description

The long dash has a wingspan of 1-1.5 inches. The male long dash's upperside is a bright orange-brown with a brown border around his 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.

Range

map 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. The long dash is found throughout New Hampshire.

Habitat

The long dash is found in open, wet areas like meadows, marshes, streamsides, and wood edges.

Diet

The long dash caterpillar eats bluegrass and sedges. The adult eats nectar from the flowers of milkweed, mountain laurel, and tick trefoil.

Life Cycle

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. The last brood of caterpillars overwinter.