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Pawnee Montane Skipper
This tiny butterfly is a subspecies of Leonard’s skipper.
About This Species
The Pawnee montane skipper is found only in the Pikes Peak Granite Formation in the South Platte River drainage system — and nowhere else on Earth, making it endemic to Colorado. This skipper is known to have large population fluctuations from year to year, making habitat protection and long-term monitoring key factors in the conservation of this threatened species.
More Information:
Physical Characteristics
The Pawnee montane skipper is a small butterfly, with a wingspan just over an inch. The upper surface of the wings are brown with orange bands; the lower surface of the wings are yellowish-orange to brown with two to three faint or barely present whitish spots in the middle of the wing. .
Range
The Pawnee montane skipper is endemic to Colorado, meaning it lives in Colorado and nowhere else on Earth. It occupies a very narrow area of approximately 25,044 acres, predominantly in Pike National Forest.
Habitat
The Pawnee montane skipper’s habitat is highly specific, limited to open ponderosa pine woodlands within an elevational range of 6,000 to 7,500 feet. The sites must have blue grama grass (the host plant for the caterpillars) and prairie gayfeather (the primary food for adults). The skipper has a very narrow range of about 25,044 acres, mostly limited to the small area where ponderosa pine and blue grama communities overlap.
Diet
There are two key food resources for the Pawnee montane skipper: blue grama grass (Bouteloua gracilis) as a host plant for the larvae and prairie gayfeather (Liatris punctata) as a nectar source for the adults. Other important nectar sources include smooth asters (Aster laevis), bee balms (species in the genus Monarda), pineywoods geranium (Geranium caespitosum), sunflowers (species in the genus Helianthus), ragworts (species in the genus Senecio) and false goldenaster (Heterotheca villosa).
Reproduction
The primary flight period (when most adults have emerged and are out flying) is late August to early September. Females lay eggs directly on leaves of the host plant, blue grama grass. Pawnee montane skippers overwinter as young larvae, completing their pupation and breaking from their as adults the following summer.
Threats to Species
A key threat to this subspecies is the disturbance of regular fire cycles. Fire is a natural part of forest ecology, and historic fire cycles involved regular, small-scale fires that maintained open habitat in the forest, which is key for creating habitat with blue grama and prairie gayfeather. When humans put out forest fires of a natural intensity, it causes forests to become overcrowded with trees, leaving little room for grasses and flowers to grow. Crowding also increases the risk of fires with unnatural intensities that threaten the forest canopy, which is also essential for this butterfly.