Ottoe Skipper

Hesperia ottoe

The Ottoe Skipper is listed as a species of special concern by the Wisconsin DNR. I looked for this species on many occasions, in places that they were said to occur, but I did not see one until 2008. I had thought that I had photographed one in 2005 at Hardscrabble SNA in Lafayette County, but Ann Swengel pointed out the, “additional elongate dark area beyond the stigma” which is not consistent with the Ottoe Skipper. I now think that the bottom photo is probably a worn Crossline Skipper. Glassberg calls this species the “super-king of the tall grass prairies” in his “Butterflies throught Binoculars: The East”. It has been found mainly in tall grass prairie habitat near hill tops in Wisconsin. Check out this Xerces Society paper (pdf) for additional information on this skipper.

Identifying characteristics

Above, the male of this species is an orange butterfly with black margins and a dark stigma in the center of the wing. The female is darker and has variable light spots. Below, this species is mainly a light yellow, usually with no spots in the male, and sometimes with light spots on the female. Notice the bottom very fresh, female which shows somewhat purplish spots.

Similar species

The male “Pawnee” form of the Leonard is very similar but this form is found farther west and flies later in the year than the Ottoe Skipper. The Byssus Skipper may fly with this species in the southwestern part of the state, and being nearly the same size it may be confused with this species in flight. Worn individuals may indeed be confused with this species if only seen from below.

Habitat

Tall grass prairies and adjacent areas.

Flight

This species is single brooded and may be found from late June to late July.

Abundance

An uncommon species in Wisconsin, this species is rarely abundant anywhere in its range. The highest single day total on an NABA count is 30 individuals. In the 2005 NABA counts, it was found on only two counts with a high count of three and in 2004 it wasn’t seen on any NABA count.

Early Ottoe Skipper Sightings

Date	County	Reported by
Jul 1, 2007	Vernon	Ann & Scott Swengel
Jul 1, 2007	Crawford	Ann & Scott Swengel
Jul 6, 2007	Grant	Ann & Scott Swengel
Jul 9, 2008	Crawford	Mike Reese
Jul 11, 2008	Vernon	Ann & Scott Swengel

Locations