Panoquina errans

Wandering Skipper

The wandering skipper is a coastal skipper that flies where host saltgrass grows, from around Santa Barbara south to Baja. The brown coloration and cream markings are distinctive in its habitats, so identification shouldn't be an issue. I first saw it around Newport Bay at flowers, and since then have seen them at San Onofre and Bolsa Chica. When I think of where to go for butterflies, I don't often think of the beach, but there are several rarities all along our coast, in places both rugged and otherwise. And because the coastline has both sensitive habitat and some of the most valuable real estate and most-used recreational sites, any butterfly trying to survive there is going to have issues. As a larval food choice, saltgrass seems to be a good one, doing well enough in a lot of coastal habitats, so perhaps this skipper has a long-term future.

According to various accounts of the immature stages (inc. Dyar's and Comstock's excerpted below), eggs are laid singly on the upperside of a blade of grass near the base of the blade, and larvae feed mostly at night over seven instars. Very cryptic on the grass blades, they will pupate on the plant.