Sunday, July 12, 2009

Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus)

Two butterflies, the Common Buckeye and the Fiery Skipper, are the most common butterflies on the butterfly bush at the moment. A number of other butterflies visit the bush alone, rarely accompanied by fellows of their species. One of these is the Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus).

Its wings are usually folded. In some lights, the gold and silver patches on the wings are dull. In the right light these patches are brilliant metallic gold and silver.

It is unusual to see this butterfly with wings unfolded. Yesterday, this butterfly settled on a blackberry leaf and displayed its open wings for enough time for me to capture this image.

Identification resources:
- West Central Georgia Butterflies by Michael Beohm: Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus)
- BugGuide: Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus)
Click the image to view a larger image

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