Phyciodes batesii

[Robert Dana]

I found Don Lafontaine's comment interesting: 

"I consider this basically a prairie species that persists in prairie-like habitats in the east." 

Here in MN I have never encountered P. batesii in prairie habitat. We do find it in northern MN and northwest WI in sandy upland woodlands (usually jack pine (true barrens in the case of northwest WI). These are usually fairly open or have roads or trails in them with open verges. I have found the species in an area of midholocene dunes now supporting dry bur oak savanna/sand prairie that is out in the prairie though close to the prairie-forest border. The species appears to be fairly common in the right habitats in northeast MN, though the abundance of co-occuring P. morpheus/selenis/pascoensis makes rapid assessment impossible.



Robert Dana, Ph.D.
MN DNR
Natural Heritage and Nongame Research Program
500 Lafayette Rd, Box 25
St. Paul, MN 55155
651 297-2367
Email: robert.dana at dnr.state.mn.us