Polites mardon

The Mardon skipper is a small butterfly, less than one inch (25 mm), that belongs to the family Hesperiidae.

Its habitat extends from the northwestern coast of Washington, through southern Oregon and northern California.

Over the years, studies have been assessing the decline of this species in the Puget prairies, by conducting population counts and habitat characteristics and their effect on the Mardon skipper's life cycle.

[2] The Mardon skipper is a non-migratory species, so its response to changes in habitat is minimized, especially during the larval stage.

Their optimal habitat can be easily degraded through conversion and fragmentation, increase in invasive species, as well as changes in weather and human actions.