Rural Skipper (Ochlodes agricola) is a small butterfly, with a wingspan of 0.875 to 1.125 inches. It has a very short flight season, usually May through the first week of July (but, in some years, it can be seen through the end of July). Host plants are various species of grass.
It is one of five grass skippers on the Garden’s species list. They all use grasses of some kind as host plants, and also share a similar orange-brown coloration. Another common characteristic of grass skippers is how the forewing and hindwing are laid out one above the other rather than side-by-side, like all other butterflies. When they spread their wings, the hindwing is fully open and parallel to the ground, with the forewing at a 45-degree angle to the hindwing. In many parts of the US, it can be challenging to identify grass skippers to species level, especially if the specimen is a little worn. For a perfect example of how difficult it can be, compare the upper sides of male and female Fiery Skipper with those of Field Skipper.
Rural Skipper is exclusively a California butterfly, and is found only west of the Sierra Nevada Divide.
It was recorded in the Garden for the first time in June 2024 (although it is generally seen in the surrounding areas).
