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Southern Broken Dash Skipper – Wallengrenia otho Family: Hesperiidae – Skippers Butterflies Home | Butterfly Index | Moths | Moths Index These specimens were photographed at Alpharetta, Georgia |
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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 while you follow them around a flower blossom. |
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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. |
