Garita Skipperling
(Oarisma garita)
Grass Skippers
Appearance: Above, unmarked dark brown with an orange dusting. Below, forewing is orange; hindwing is light brown with pale orange on the inner edge and white fringe and veins. Flies very weakly close to the ground.
Wingspan: Small; 3/4 to 1 1/4 inches.
Habitat: Open woodlands, mountain meadows, short and mixed grass prairies.
Flight Times: June to mid-August; one brood.
Larval Foodplant: Various grasses, including bluegrass and blue grama.
Did You Know…
Common name may come from the Garita Mountains of SW Colorado, since the species was described from the Colorado territory in 1866 (Pyle, 1981).
