Butterflies of North Carolina

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Once on a species account page, clicking on the "View PDF" link will show the flight data for that species, for each of the three regions of the state.
Other information, such as high counts and earliest/latest dates, can also been seen on the PDF page.

Related Species in HESPERIIDAE:
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Common Name

Southern Broken-dash by Roger Rittmaster => Durham Co.
[View PDF]

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Scientific Name

Polites otho

Link to BAMONA species account.

Map

Click on a county for list of all database records for the species in that county.

Distribution

DISTRIBUTION: Essentially throughout the Coastal Plain and Piedmont; scattered in the Mountains. Possibly absent in some Mountain counties, though likely present in all counties downstate. The lack of records for some of the middle Coastal Plain is certainly due to poor coverage in this region.

Abundance

ABUNDANCE: Fairly common over most of the Coastal Plain. Uncommon to locally fairly common in the eastern half of the Piedmont, rare to uncommon in the western Piedmont, and very rare in the Mountains. In the Mountains, probably absent above 3500 feet.

Flight

FLIGHT PERIOD: Two broods; downstate -- mid-May to mid-June, and mid- or late July to late September, very rarely to early October. The records from the Mountains suggest flight periods from mid-May to late June, and early August to early September; but many more records are needed to be certain, especially for the second brood.

Habitat

HABITAT: The species has a tendency to occur in or near wetlands, but not in truly wet places. Typical habitats are the edges of bottomlands or pocosins, marsh borders, moist powerline clearings, and particularly savannas. It can be seen in drier places, but it is not to be intentionally searched for in uplands. In fact, it can be locally numerous in some gardens/arboretums, as long as the foodplants are nearby. Interestingly, the state's highest count (85) was made at a lawn on Bodie Island, the individuals nectaring on Sneezeweed (Helenium amarum)!

See also Habitat Account for General Open, Wet Herblands

Plants

FOOD AND NECTAR PLANTS: Various crowngrasses (Paspalum spp.) are the foodplants. The species nectars on many plants, such as forbs growing in savannas -- blazing-stars (Liatris spp.), etc. Individuals even visit gardens and nurseries, such as the Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh and the Sarah Duke Gardens in Durham.

Comments

COMMENTS: This is a widespread, though seldom very numerous, species of damp places in the Coastal Plain and lower Piedmont. Savannas are the best places to look for them, but I have seen them on a number of occasions along powerline clearings where the ground is damp. Though similar in pattern to the Northern Broken-dash, I have seldom had trouble distinguishing the two (unless they are very worn), as the Southern Broken-dash has a rich or warm rusty color, as opposed to a cold or dull brown of the Northern Broken-dash.

State Rank

State Status

Global Rank

Federal Status

Synonym

Wallengrenia otho

Other Name

Broken Dash, Southern Broken-Dash

Links to other butterfly galleries: [Cook] [Lynch] [Pippen] [Pugh]
Photo Gallery for Southern Broken-dash
	Photo by: Shay Garriock Comment: 22-Aug-2007; Columbus Co. Southern Broken-dash - Click to enlarge	Photo by: Randy Newman Comment: Fort Macon State Park, Carteret Co.; 2017-Nov-22 Southern Broken-dash - Click to enlarge
	Photo by: Richard Stickney Comment: female. October 3, 2014, Durham Co. Southern Broken-dash - Click to enlarge	Photo by: Richard Stickney Comment: male. July 30, 2010 Southern Broken-dash - Click to enlarge
	Photo by: Sven Halling Comment: May 31, 2013, Pilot Mountain State Park, Surry County Southern Broken-dash - Click to enlarge	Photo by: Salman Abdulali Comment: 2012-July-12. Pitt County Arboretum, Pitt Co. Southern Broken-dash - Click to enlarge
	Photo by: Salman Abdulali Comment: 2012-July-12. Male. Pitt County Arboretum, Pitt Co. Southern Broken-dash - Click to enlarge