Dion Skipper 
(Euphyes dion)

Dion Skipper is uncommon to locally common in the Coastal counties and Lower Coastal Plain. It is uncommon in the Piedmont and Ridge and Valley counties, but it is likely absent from the northeastern Mountain counties. The habitat is sedge marshes, swamps, and other wetland areas where the hostplants grow. The hostplants are wool grass (Scirpus cyperinus), shoreline sedge (Carex hyalinolepis) and perhaps other Carex spp. There are two broods with a short flight from May to mid-June and a longer flight from mid-July though early October. The Dion Skippers on the Coast and Lower Coastal Plain, were once considered a subspecies (alabamae) are ventrally a dark rich orange with a well defined light yellow central horizonal ray on the ventral HW. Some individuals found in the Piedmont and Ridge and Valley are much lighter in color and often lack a central ray on the ventral HW, while others are darker orange. Early Date: May 5 (Ware County); Late Date: October 3 (Twiggs County). Conservation Status: Probably stable, but colonies should be protected.