Silver-spotted Skipper
Where's the silver spot [1] on this Silver-spotted Skipper ? It's (almost certainly) there, but it's really only visible on the underside of the wing. Many times these butterflies rest with their wings held up, and their silver spot actually is a pretty prominent field mark. I don't know if this particular skipper was trying to maximize its exposure to sunlight, but it had the wings held down, and the silver spot isn't in evidence. If you only see this angle, it can make identifying this butterfly trickier. Despite this view, the silver spot gives this butterfly a reputation as the country's most recognizable skipper. [2] Most of the skippers I meet are grass skippers , where the caterpillars feed on some sort of grass. Silver-spotted Skippers are definitely not in this group; their caterpillars eat plants in the legume family like Black Locust , Honey Locust , and wisterias . (Like good children, their caterpillars eat their vegetables.) The Silver-spotted Skip...