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Posts Tagged ‘Peck’s Skipper butterfly’

Zabulon Skipper butterfly (?)

Posted in Butterflies, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , , , on August 13, 2025| 2 Comments »

It is tough to get a proper exposure during the harsh midday sunlight—all too often the image will be overexposed. I sometimes will deliberately compensate by underexposing the subject, which has the effect of significantly darkening the background of the image. This doesn’t always work, but I like the dramatic result that I got when I photographed this little skipper butterfly during a visit earlier this week to Huntley Meadows Park.

As I have noted in multiple post over the years, skipper butterflies are really tough to identify. I looked over lots of images on-line and have concluded that this might be a Zabulon Skipper butterfly (Poanes zabulon) or possibly a Peck’s Skipper butterfly (Polites peckius).

Why did I go with “Zabulon” in the title of this post rather than “Peck’s?” The answer is quite simple is not a scientific determination—I think the name “Zabulon” is a lot cooler than “Peck’s.”

Zabulon Skipper

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Skipper in September

Posted in Autumn, Butterflies, Insects, Nature, Photography, plants, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , , on September 17, 2024| 2 Comments »

Recently I have featured numerous large, beautiful butterflies feeding on blooming plants, especially thistles. Today, I decided to turn the spotlight to the smaller, more nondescript butterflies, commonly referred to as skippers, that have been equally active and visible in recent weeks.

According to Wikipedia, there are more than 3500 species of skipper butterflies in the world and many of the species are visually similar in appearance. For that reason, I am especially cautious in trying to identify one of these small butterflies. Sometimes I will request assistance in identifying specimens in one of many Facebook groups to which I belong. I have learned the “secret” to getting a response—if I make a misidentification, some experts who might not help me with an identification will feel compelled to correct me.

I spotted the little beauty in the photo below last week while I was exploring a patch of flowers at Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge. It might be a Peck’s Skipper (Polites peckius), but to me it looks a bit more like a Zabulon Skipper (Poanes zabulon). Whatever the case, I like the way that I was able to capture the butterfly in action, sipping nectar with its proboscis fully extended.

Peck's Skipper

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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