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Family Hesperiidae – Skipper Butterflies Order Lepidoptera / Suborder Macrolepidoptera / Superfamily Hesperioidea Butterflies Home | Butterfly Index | Moths | Moths Index | Insects | Spiders Skippers display many structural features of both moths and butterflies. |
Wild Indigo Duskywing skippers taking water from moist soil. Female on left, male on right.
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All adult skippers have six well developed legs and four wings. Their eggs are tiny, usually less than .1mm. Most skipper larvae are green and tapered, and the neck appears constricted. The caterpillars weave silk and leaves into a daytime shelter for protection. Most pupate in loosely woven cocoons. Chrysalises are often coated with a powder or bloom.
Skipper Butterflies share some characteristics of moths; stocky with a large head, widely spaced, hooked antennae, a chunky body and short wings, these smallish butterflies are sometimes rapid, erratic fliers. The family is subdivided into 7 subfamilies: Hesperiinae (grass skippers), Coeliadinae, Euschemoninae, Eudaminae (dicot skippers), Pyrginae (spreadwings), Heteropterinae (monocot skippers), and Trapezitinae (found only in Oceania).
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 Little Glassywing |
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Skipper Butterflies display many structural features of both moths and butterflies; stocky with a large head, widely spaced, hooked antennae, a chunky body and short wings, these smallish butterflies are sometimes rapid, erratic fliers.
The family is subdivided into 7 subfamilies: Hesperiinae (grass skippers), Coeliadinae, Euschemoninae, Eudaminae (dicot skippers), Pyrginae (spreadwings), Heteropterinae (monocot skippers), and Trapezitinae (found only in Oceania) [3]. Before I started photographing insects, I was completely unaware of these charming little butterflies. I have since come to appreciate their antics and admire their flying abilities. Skippers present a physical challenge to photogs – they rarely stay in one spot for more than a few moments, and they will weathervane you all day (never presenting their full profile). |
 Peck's Skipper |
 Least Skipper |
 Wild Indigo Duskywing |
European Skipper Butterfly – Thymelicus lineola
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1. Opler, Paul A., Harry Pavulaan, Ray E. Stanford, Michael Pogue, Butterflies and Moths of North America. Bozeman, MT |
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Order Lepidoptera, which contains both butterflies and moths, includes at least 125,000 known species including 12,000 in North America. Butterflies are revered for their brightly colored wings and pleasing association with fair weather and flowers. |