Often the larval host will help in determining butterfly species. in my garden, which is a larval host for many members of Dicot Skippers. Now it is up to me to keep my eyes peeled to see if I can get better shots or at least a good look myself to firm up the identification by paying close attention to the subtle differences in markings. It is some sort of Cloudywing, but not enough detail in photo for species identification.Īs I always do with skippers, I checked in with my twitter pal Unfortunately, he reports there isn’t enough detail in the photos to provide a firm identification, but he did narrow it down to two possibilities: (1) the one I guessed or (2) Northern Cloudywing (T. Comparing photos, I gave a preliminary identification as possible Confused Cloudwing (T. (Erynnis zarucco) is a spread-wing skipper (Subfamily: Pyrginae)Ī quick check and I was able to determine it is one of the Cloudywings (Thorybes spp.). There are also Spread-wing Skippers (Subfamily Pyrginae). “Various dicots, mostly woody, with Fabaceae and Fabaceae perhaps the most important families used”. It had similar attributes to the Longtail Skippers that are Dicot Skippers (Subfamily Eudaminae). Long-tailed Skipper butterfly (Urbanus proteus) There are several subfamilies of skippers and because of the size, I knew it wasn’t one of the Grass Skippers (Subfamily Hesperiinae) as they are substantially smaller.

Ocola Skipper Butterfly, a Grass Skipper (Subfamily Hesperiinae) One dot, dash or directional mark can be a determining factor in getting it down to the correct species. Unfortunately, I didn’t get great angles and it is imperative to have both the ventral and dorsal views of skippers to determine species. None of the angles revealed enough for a firm species identification

Luckily, this guy was drawn in by the nectar of Carolina Redroot (Lachnanthes caroliana) and seemed momentarily engrossed enough in his drinking habit that I was able to snap a couple of photos. You see they…umm…skip from flower to flower and it is often nearly impossible to keep up with them. Skippers can be somewhat trying to photograph. This skipper was rather large, dull in color, but it intrigued me just the same. Skippers are a diverse bunch and often hard to identify. Skippers are in the Superfamily Hesperioidea, as opposed to say, Swallowtails or Milkweed Butterflies that are in the Papilionoidea Superfamily encompassing Butterflies (excluding skippers). This particular butterfly is one of the skippers.

Confused cloudwing butterfly