Hesperia juba
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
Hesperia juba, the Juba skipper, Yuba skipper, or jagged-border skipper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found in North America from British Columbia, south to southern California, east to Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and north-western New Mexico.
The wingspan is 32–42 mm. There are two generations per year with adults on wing from April to June and again from August to October. The larvae feed on Deschampsia elongata, Stipa, Bromus rubens, and Poa pratensis. Adults feed on flower nectar from various flowers, including rabbitbrush.
The Hesperia juba is known for having heavier, more noticeable white markings compared to other types of Hesperia species. It is also known for its unique perching behavior. Hesperia juba males attract females by perching on the ground or on low vegetation in gullies. This is unique to Hesperia juba, as others in the Hesperia genus prefer perching on hilltops or high ridges.
Hesperiidae, or skipper butterflies, typically have large, stout bodies that are disproportionately larger than their wings. These types of butterflies also have hooked antenna tips, as opposed to the clubbed tips that are more common in other butterfly... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zion National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Salt Lake City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Portland | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Juba Skipper sighting in Yosemite National Park on a given day, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 116th most-seen of the 227 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April–June and September–October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Juba Skipper in Yosemite National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July–August and November–March, the lowest months. Those are among Yosemite National Park's driest months, with about 45 mm of rain a month against 220 mm in January.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Juba Skipper sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Juba Skipper sightings, Yosemite National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Zion National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Hesperiidae
The closest relatives of the Juba Skipper that you can see in Yosemite National Park (family Hesperiidae, Skippers) are Sandhill Skipper (about 20%), Propertius Duskywing (about 10%) and Silver-Spotted Skipper (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Juba Skipper is recorded against all the insects logged in Yosemite National Park (12 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
