Carson Wandering Skipper
One of North America’s rarest butterflies survives in fragments of Nevada wet meadow, where groundwater keeps saltgrass green enough for its caterpillars.
Artwork inspired by Lorenzo Latimer
Carson Wandering Skipper larvae feed on saltgrass in alkaline wetlands of the Carson drainage. Adults are tiny, fast, and short-lived; the species can disappear from a site when groundwater, grazing, invasive plants, mowing, or development changes the height and moisture of its host meadow.
Observation is best left to guided surveys or public edges because colonies are small and easily trampled. Photograph any candidate without capture, recording date, plant, and exact behavior for experts. Many orange skippers look similar, so rarity should never be inferred from color alone.
- Federal status
- Endangered
- Host plant
- Saltgrass
- Key resource
- Groundwater-fed meadow
Quick guide
- Whole-form evidence
- Low darting flight
- Second mark
- Golden-brown wings; habitat—Alkaline wetlands, seeps, and seasonally moist saltgrass meadows in the Carson River drainage
How to verify Carson Wandering Skipper in the field
- Recognize
- Use tiny size, pale underside marks, saltgrass, and exact wetland setting.
- Find them
- Watch low over moist meadow during calm flight windows.
- Separate
- Photograph rather than guessing among similar orange skippers.
- Protect
- Never enter a known colony or collect specimens.
Good to know
Locations are sensitive and much habitat is not open for casual access. Use public observation points or organized surveys, and report a well-documented sighting to wildlife biologists without broadcasting coordinates.
Notice these
- Low darting flight
- Golden-brown wings
- Alkaline saltgrass wetland