Wingspan: 3 cm.

Flight time: Primarily early May through early June, with stray adults being encountered until mid July.

Status: Rare breeding resident.

Distinguishing features: This distinctive dark brownish-gray skipper has pointed forewings with small white spots, and white overscaling on the hindwing below. Some females in the Loess Hills are more highly marked and do not appear like the figured specimens.

Distribution and habitat: Except for a centuries-old collection from Poweshiek County, and an apocryphal Marion County sighting in 1962, the only known sites for the Dusted Skipper occur in far western and eastern Iowa. Populations are restricted to xeric prairie habitats, and occur in the Loess Hills, on dry gravel ridges along terminal moraine of the Des Moines Lobe, and in limestone and sandstone glades near the Mississippi River. Although seemingly appropriate habitats exist on xeric limestone glades throughout the Iowan erosional surface, no populations have yet been observed in spite of extensive survey efforts.

Natural History: This is the earliest-flying prairie obligate skipper in Iowa. It is seen on sunny south-facing hillsides perching on the ground or low vegetation. Its flight is rapid, and is very wary of approach. While both Big and Little Bluestem have been listed as larval hosts, the limitation of this species to xeric prairie sites suggests in Iowa that it likely prefers the latter.