Cute As A Bug

Day 311: This little character seemed to know that I needed a reason to smile today. It's been a tough morning. That said, I've been chasing skippers around the yard for a couple of weeks now, but they've been reluctant to hold still long enough for me to focus the camera. Not this one! As I turned from photographing the entire year's yield of blueberries (all four of them), Skipper nearly knocked me over in his haste to be first to land on this tomato flower. He had some competition, but once he'd claimed it for his own, the rival flew off to look elsewhere for lunch. Mr./Ms. Ochlodes posed and postured for a couple of minutes while I fiddled with settings and got zoomed in with a macro filter at close range. I mean, what's not to love about that face? Skippers have always been one of my favourite butterflies, and especially the Woodland Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanoides) which seems to be the dominant species in my yard. Maybe with his help, I'll get some tomatoes after all.

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.

Woodland Skipper Loves Lavender

Day 295: Among other assorted flutterbyes in my garden, the hot weather has brought out Woodland Skippers in droves, and they love the lavender. These cute little critters fascinated me when I was a child because unlike other butterflies, they frequently hold their hind wings at an angle to their forewings when at rest, a pose which puts me in mind of experimental aircraft. The larvae of Ochlodes sylvanoides feed on a variety of tall, coarse grasses; in Washington, this includes the invasive Reed Canary Grass. Perhaps the abundance of Skippers in recent years is related to the increase in available forage, Nature attempting to strike a balance between native and non-native species. That said, it seems like the Canary Grass is winning despite the Skippers' valiant efforts to control it, but it does my heart good to see so many of these charming butterflies in my garden.

Skipper Spotlight

Day 320: A few days ago, I was fiddling around with post-processing effects in response to a photo challenge, starting with a base image which otherwise might never have seen the light of day. Oh, I got the Woodland Skipper in focus, but without capturing any major field markings or characteristics, automatically excluding it from anything I'd use for a "field guide" shot. The background was bland and to my eye, the lavender seemed to be intrusive, and the highlights on the insect's body were too bright. In other words, the image only marginally escaped being thrown in the trash. When I remembered that I was one image short of completing the photo challenge, I decided to see if I could gussy it up a bit.

First of all, I added a feathered blur filter leaving only the Skipper and a bit of lavender in focus. Lens flare provided some colour for the corners and a rule-of-thirds glow, and a "sunlight" filter warmed the image overall. I diminished the highlights and deepened the midtones as a final touch to bring Mr. Skipper out of anonymity and into the spotlight. Still not a "field guide" shot, but even in my world, sometimes it's not always about science.

Woodland Skipper, Ochlodes Sylvanoides

Day 297: "Hey, Crow! What are those cute little orange and brown moths with the weird wings that are all over my dandelions?"

I hate to break it to you, but you're wrong on both counts.

In the first place, those foot-tall "lawn daisies" which plague our yards and shoot up stiff, tough stems from a basal rosette of leaves resembling harsh-textured velour are Cat's-ear (Hypochaeris radicata). In the second place, that ain't no moth. It's a butterfly. How can you tell? The easiest way is by looking for club-shaped tips on the antennae. Butterflies have them; moths have feathery antennae. However, this little fellow's wings don't seem to fit the familiar profile for either, and because he's fuzzy, many people mistake him for a moth. In fact, he's a Woodland Skipper, Ochlodes sylvanoides.

When in "alert mode" (i.e., preparing for take-off), many Skippers exhibit a distinctive wing position peculiar to the species. The hind wings are held flat and the forewings are held at an angle to the body. Imagine the Skipper in the photo with only its hind wings spread. At rest, the wings are folded as shown. The odd morphology allows Skippers to dart about and change direction quite quickly.

Having Skippers in my yard by the dozen isn't simply entertaining. It gives me the perfect excuse to leave the lawnmower in the garage. They really like the Cat's-ear, and who am I to deprive a cute little butterfly of a treat?