29 August 2009

Peck's Skipper (Polites peckius)


Skippers are ubiquitous butterflies, but often go unnoticed because they are not showy, and because they hover close to the ground and vegetation rather than soaring in the air. There are literally thousands of different varieties; the one above is a "Peck's Skipper," distinguished by the long yellow dash on the undersurface of its underwing ("to identify Pecks, look for the "x").

As evidenced by their group name, skippers are difficult to photograph because they seldom hold still for the camera. I was lucky to encounter the one above on a chilly morning when he was too torpid to fly away.

The photo enlarges nicely with a click.

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