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Fun Facts
Did You Know?
Southern broken dash records from North Louisiana benefit from photographs showing the forewing upperside with the broken dash visible, or the hindwing underside with the pale spot band. The species appears in the regional iNaturalist record at lower frequency than its actual abundance at open-habitat sites likely warrants, reflecting the general under-documentation of grass skippers at North Louisiana open-habitat sites
If This Animal Could Talk...
"Watch closely, respect my space, and let my habitat explain the rest of the story."
The broken dash skippers carry a distinctive forewing mark, a pale dash broken into two segments near the center of the forewing, that separates them from the otherwise similar grass skippers of the open-field community. Wallengrenia otho, the southern broken dash, flies at North Louisiana open habitats from late May through September, shows the broken dash field mark on the forewing upperside, and concentrates at sites with native grasses near open flower stands where adults nectar through the summer.
Wallengrenia otho spans one to one and a quarter inches, in the mid-range for North Louisiana grass skippers. The forewing upperside shows orange with a dark brown border and the diagnostic broken dash: a pale mark near the forewing center that separates into two distinct segments rather than forming a continuous stripe.
A Few More Facts
How they hunt and forage: Adults nectar at native thistles, ironweed, native milkweed, and various native composites through the summer. The summer flight season, from late May through September, overlaps with peak native thistle and ironweed bloom, providing reliable nectar resources at the open and woodland-edge sites where adults concentrate.
Live birth or eggs? no
When young are born: The low to moderate stature of most Dichanthelium species, and their tendency to grow in partially shaded or semi-open edges rather than full-sun turf, produces search conditions that reward sitting at or near ground level at the edge of the grass stand rather than walking through it.That same observation posture that locates the grass for identification also locates the rolled-leaf shelters that confirm southern broken dash breeding at the site.First and Last FlightMarch and April southern broken dash records from the southern parishes document early spring emergence at sites with mild winter conditions and early grass growth.
What Is the Southern Broken Dash Often Confused With?
The male shows tawny orange forewing with dark brown borders and the pale broken dash mark. The stigma, a specialized dark scent patch on the male forewing, appears as a dark mark running through the broken dash area and contributes to the complex appearance of the forewing center. The hindwing upperside shows orange with dark border. The hindwing underside shows dull orange-brown with a curved pale spot band. Females show darker, more heavily patterned forewings with reduced orange and more extensive dark scaling. Both sexes show the hindwing underside pale spot band that curves across the wing in a shape distinctive from the spot arrangements of other grass skippers when seen in good light on a perched individual.
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Accessibility
Accessibility
Southern broken dash adults at native thistle and ironweed stands nectar at flower-head height accessible from flat ground throughout the region from late May through September. The forewing broken dash mark locates the species from perched views at close to moderate range when the forewing upperside presents to the observer. Native grass areas with adjacent open flower stands at old-field and roadside sites throughout the region from late May through September provide the most accessible observation conditions.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does Southern Broken Dash live in North Louisiana?
Yes. Wallengrenia otho, the southern broken dash, flies at North Louisiana open habitats from late May through September, shows the broken dash field mark on the forewing upperside, and concentrates at sites with native grasses near open flower stands where adults nectar through the summer. Wallengrenia otho spans one to one and a quarter inches, in the mid-range for North Louisiana grass skippers.
That segmented pale forewing mark separates the southern broken dash from the similar-sized Sachem, Atalopedes campestris, and from the northern broken dash, Wallengrenia egeremet, where that species' range overlaps the southern broken dash's territory in North Louisiana.
How do you identify Southern Broken Dash?
The male shows tawny orange forewing with dark brown borders and the pale broken dash mark. The stigma, a specialized dark scent patch on the male forewing, appears as a dark mark running through the broken dash area and contributes to the complex appearance of the forewing center. The hindwing upperside shows orange with dark border. The hindwing underside shows dull orange-brown with a curved pale spot band
What does Southern Broken Dash eat?
Adults nectar at native thistles, ironweed, native milkweed, and various native composites through the summer. The summer flight season, from late May through September, overlaps with peak native thistle and ironweed bloom, providing reliable nectar resources at the open and woodland-edge sites where adults concentrate
Is Southern Broken Dash dangerous to people?
No. This species is not dangerous to people when it is observed without handling or disturbance
