Sunday I saw three butterflies that were new for the season. The first was the summer azure, a small blue butterfly that flies at tree level, rather than the low-flying eastern tailed-blue. The other two were skippers of a color and form that is often referred to as “LBJ”s, for “Little Brown Jobs.” It can be difficult to distinguish one of these from the next.
A musk thistle held three Delaware skippers.
The Delaware skipper is a bright orange-brown color. Around here, it is the most common unmarked orange or brown skipper.
The least skipper, or least skipperling is also a light orange-brown color. It has a more noticeable white belly, and is smaller than the Delaware.
The differences between these two butterflies and a handful of others are subtle but can become obvious once you know these species.
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