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Fiery Skipper Hylephila phyleus | September 4, 2011 |
| The fiery skipper (Hylephila phyleus) is a common butterfly in the southern United States but increasingly rare as one goes north. Two weeks ago I had a few photos of one and wondered whether I should put up a single-photo page. Lucky that I waited, because last week I encountered three different fiery skippers, and so had a good choice of photos for today of a male fiery skipper. In 2012, I added a female fiery skipper to my pages. (However, in hindsight, I see that the second and third photos are probably of females on this page; well, the other female page has its own photographic joys.) |
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Seeing the tiny dots on the underwing is the easiest ID for a fiery skipper.
As for size, I'd say about a thumbnail (in comparison to a least skipper, which would be a pinky nail). To make size a little easier, a medium-size bumblebee perched near a fiery skipper. |
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| A fiery skipper enjoying thistle nectar. |
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Given their size, a fiery skipper (and all skippers, for that matter) has enormous eyes.
Photo note: I used the Pentax K20D, with Sigma 150-500mm lens (first photo) and the Voigtlander 125mm macro lens (second and third photos), taken during the latter half of August 2011. |