A favorite childhood activity of mine was trying to catch skipper moths (they are not moths but that is what I thought for quite a while). My mother’s garden was full of sedum that attracted loads of skippers every summer. Boredom and excessive energy provide sufficient motive to take on the daunting task of catching skippers by hand. We have reached the peak of skipper activity at Wintergreen and this Nine Minute Naturalist will explore the features that make classifying this butterfly so difficult.

Skipper

Skippers are named for the speedy, direct flight patterns that give the impression they are skipping. There are 275 species in North America and more than 3500 species worldwide, with the greatest diversity found in the Neotropics. Skippers are classified in the order of Lepidoptera and in the family Hesperiidae. Previously they were placed in their own superfamily, Hesperiodea. There are 5 subfamilies of skippers worldwide and many more waiting to be classified.

What has caused skippers to jump around from family to family is they are considered an intermediary between butterflies and moths because they share characteristics of both groups. The head and body resemble those of a moth but when at rest skippers hold their wings at a 45-degree angle or vertically, a characteristic of a butterfly. Most skippers lack structures called frenula, typical in most moths. They have antennae that are shot and wide on the head with hooks on the ends. They are also active in daytime which is a trait of butterflies.

Silver-spotted skipper

Identifying skippers proves a difficult task even for experienced surveyors. Their darting behavior cause learning the varieties a maddening experience. Luckily there are a few options flying around wintergreen that are easy for the novice surveyor. The silver-spotted skipper is very common and easy to identify. This relatively large skipper is dark brown with a noticeable silvery-white splotch on the underside of the hindwings. Despite the speedy movements, the silver spot is distinguishable from a distance. They are common at Wintergreen late June through August. They are most found in open woodlands, gardens, and meadows. They are not particular about their nectar sources but do prefer flowers with red, purple, or pink blooms. They lay their eggs on members of the pea family preferring the young foliage of black locust.

A few more skippers populate our portion of the Blue Ridge. Fiery skippers are common in open sunny locations such as garden or lawns. They lay eggs on grass and are thus synonymous with lawns. Locations near waterways in central Virginia are bound to see clouded skippers prancing around their flowers. They can be found on buttonbush, selfheal, and lantana.

While I do not recommend wasting energy attempting to catch skipper butterflies, now is the season to spend some quite time in a sunny garden to watch the speedy skippers dance among our flowers seeking nectar. While this lovely lepidoptera currently has a family, spend some time debating if it fits better in the moth or butterfly category.