Ochlodes Sylvanoides, Woodland Skipper

Day 338: The Woodland Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanoides) was one of the first butterflies I learned to identify. At the ripe old age of 6 or 7, I had not yet discovered the joys of Latin and knew it only as a Skipper, and was intrigued by the fact that although it looked rather like a moth, it was in fact a butterfly. The position in which they hold their wings sets them apart from other Lepidoptera with the forewings held upright and the hind wings often displayed almost horizontally when at rest. I know now that this peculiar arrangement allows them to fly faster than other butterflies, a detail which goes a long way to explain why I had so much trouble catching them as a child. I also know now that they nectar on flowers not commonly used by other butterflies such as aster and goldenrod, and that their larvae feed on various grasses. This last tidbit of knowledge comes with an addendum: they are particularly drawn to the invasive Reed Canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea), a preference which pulls them away from the native species with which they would have interacted otherwise. Although at first glance, it might seem like a good thing to have larvae consuming an invasive, feeding on the plant may not fulfill the butterflies' nutritional requirements, resulting in a weakening of the species over time. My personal observations suggest that the number of Woodland Skippers has declined since the days of my youth, at least here in the Pacific Northwest.