Dakota Skipper

Additional Resources Hesperiinae: Grass Skippers Butterfly Pictures

The Dakota Skipper (Hesperia dacotae), a native species of the Mid-Western grassland prairies, has been listed as a candidate for the endangered species list since.

While they occupy both tallgrass and mixed-grass prairie prairie habitats, the conversion of those habitats throughout much of the Mid-West has squeezed their once wide range into a narrower corridor of North Dakota, Minnesota and a bit of South Dakota (see Dakota Skipper Range Map).

Currently Federal authorities are working with private landowners, offering habitat restoration suggestions to help improve population levels.

Apart from conservation groups such as the Nature Conservancy, the major landowners in Dakota Skipper habitat are farmers and ranchers. In these instances, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service is suggesting that they rethink their prescribed burning, haying, grazing and pesticide practices.

© 2009. Patricia A. Michaels