Wing span: 2.0-2.3 cm.

Flight time: Multiple broods, ranging from the end of May to early October.

Status: Common breeding resident.

Distinguishing features: This distinctive little skipper has dark brown upper forewings and orange upper hindwings with a dark border. This pattern is reversed below with orange-bordered dark forewings and orange hindwings. At rest when the wings are folded up, only the orange can be seen. Some individuals have uniformly dark dorsal forewings; these may be termed A. n. longleyi.

Distribution and habitat: Found throughout the state in a variety of open, moist, grassy habitats including wet prairies and fens. It also tolerates disturbance, and can be found in many degraded sites.

Natural History: Least Skipper larvae have been reported to eat a wide variety of grasses, including Bluegrass (Poa spp.) and Rice Cutgrass (Leersia oryzoides). It differs from most skippers by having a relatively weak flight as it moves among the vegetation in a rather continuous motion. Individuals who are missed by a swung net often drop to the ground and feign death.