Photo by William Leonard
Mardon Skipper
The Mardon skipper butterfly (Polites mardon) is a small, tawny-orange
butterfly dependent upon native, fescue-dominated grasslands. Mardon skippers
were likely more widespread and abundant prior to large-scale loss of
their open, grassland habitat. This habitat has declined dramatically
in the past 150 years due to agricultural and residential sprawl, fire
suppression, livestock grazing, and introduction of exotic species. For
example, in western Washington, more than 97% of the native prairie grasslands
have been destroyed. The Mardon skipper is found at 37 sites in four small,
geographically isolated areas: (1) southern Puget Sound, (2) the Mt. Adams
area (Cascade Mountains) in southern Washington, (3) the Siskiyou Mountains
in southern Oregon, and (4) Del Norte County (north-coastal) California.
All of the sites are small, with the majority supporting less than 50
individuals. It has recently been extirpated from four sites in south
Puget Sound and one in the southern Washington Cascades. The current status
of four other sites in Washington is uncertain.
Mardon
skipper listing petition (pdf format).