European skippers are high on the Cuteness Scale, about a 9, I reckon. It’s hard not to love’em — big dark eyes, short knobby antennae, brassy orange wings.
Immigrants to North America, the first skippers landed in Canada in 1910 in London, Ontario. They arrived as eggs in a shipment of contaminated Timothy. By 1987 they had arrived in Alberta, no doubt helped by plentiful hay crops across the prairies that provided lots of food for the caterpillars.
It’s been a good summer for skippers, judging by the number I’ve seen on the wing. And sadly by the number I’ve seen plastered to vehicle grills. Casualties of the modern world.
In spite of these losses, skippers abound, flitting among the flowers, little clowns on wings. Guaranteed to make me smile.
European skipper Thymelicus lineola
Green lily/White camas Anticlea elegans (aka Zygadenus elegans)
Rush Juncus spp.
Timothy Phleum pratense
The Lens and I 
Excellent post! I agree, they rate highly on the cuteness scale.
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Thanks, Belinda. 🙂
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Yes, they are sure cute! I always like to see them.
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🙂
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I’ve never seen so many skippers that they get caught on cars. In fact, I can’t remember ever seeing butterflies mowed down by big, clunky machines. Perhaps I’ve not been observant, or maybe I just haven’t been on the roads at the right time. In any event, they are among the cutest butterflies in my book, and I really like that top photo. It’s double-cute!
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The vehicle was a half-ton pickup, the front of which was filled with butterflies, bees and flies. A tough world out there. They were so visible in this case because the owner had installed a grill guard in front of his rad; otherwise the road kill would have caught on the rad and much harder to see.
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I was sat watching them in the garden yesterday.
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Lucky you! Were they feeding on anything particular in your garden?
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An ornamental thistle.
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