northeast-flora-and-fauna

A Peck's Skipper was checking out a daisy last summer. I think this skipper was named after an entomologist, George William Peck, who died in May of 1909 based on this: We regret to record the death of another of our veteran entomologists, in the person of Mr. George W. Peck, of Roselle Park, N. J. He died on the 18th of May, at the age of seventy-two; he was born in Boston and was a descendant of one of the Mayflower Pilgrims. After being engaged in business in Boston for some years, he removed to New York and became the part owner and head of a wholesale business in glass and tin supplies.  His heart, however, was engrossed with nature studies, and he acquired no little reputation in his own neighbourhood as an entomologist and horticulturist. His collection of Lepidoptera is one of the best in New Jersey.  He never made any contributions to entomological publications, but, being an enthusiastic collector, he was well known to a great many. Despite the kind words from a fel...

We don't know if arthropods feel love, but they do have sex. Since some females potentially eat males after sex (some mantises and spiders), it seems unlikely there's a loving relationship there. And most of the time male and female arthropods come together for a fairly short amount of time, suggesting they don't really know each other very well, let alone feel affection for one another. On this Valentine's Day, here are a couple breeding Peck's Skippers . (More about them are here .) Lepidopterans (like a fair number of other insects) breed facing away from each other with the tips of their abdomens touching. September 7, 2021 at Washington Valley Park Photo 167829670, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

Who is Peck, and why does he have a skipper? These are just two questions surrounding this pair of Peck's Skippers . Peck's Skippers are grass skippers , named because the females lay eggs on various types of grass, and as caterpillars they eat those grasses. The females are darker, so I wouldn't be surprised if the one in the front is a female being courted by the male in the back. They were named after William Dandridge Peck , an American naturalist considered to be the first native-born American entomologist. This butterfly wasn't (as fair as we know) his favorite butterfly; it was named after him as an honor rather than because of a personal connection to it. July 27, 2021 at Washington Valley Park Photo 148653335, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

Here's a Peck's Skipper . Though not particularly colorful, Peck's Skipper (and all skippers ) are considered to be butterflies. (The clubbed antenna is usually a good indicator of butterfly-ness.) Peck's Skipper is in the Grass Skipper subfamily ; as caterpillars they eat grasses or sedges. Most of the skippers are small, earth-toned butterflies. The yellow patch where the middle one juts further to the back is considered to be a good way to identify this particular skipper. They were named after the guy considered to be the first native born American entomologist, William Dandridge Peck . July 25 at Duke Farms