#checkered-skipper

[northerlyy]

Checkered-skipper (Genus Burnsius), taken November 1, 2025, in Georgia, US

A small skipper drinking its fill from the season's final flowers! This was one of the last skippers I saw this past season, though it wasn't my last butterfly. Common Buckeyes (Junonia coenia) have a pretty long-lasting season, and I was still seeing them well past the disappearance of other butterfly species. I'm not sure what they were finding to eat, if anything, because there were very few flowers around, but they were clearly making do. I'm looking forward to seeing them again this summer!

[northerlyy]

Tropical Checkered-skipper (Burnsius oileus), male, taken November 1, 2025, in Georgia, US

A beautiful skipper butterfly grabbing a sweet snack from some bitterweed flowers! This guy was (reluctantly) sharing with two other skippers, though not of the same species. Flowers are scarce now, and pollinators are tired, so there's less fluttering and fighting happening at rest stops. The calm energy of these three skippers allowed me to get some cute pictures of all of them, but this specific individual is a lifer for me and a very uncommon species in my area! As their name implies, this species prefers warmer, wetter climates, its range hugging the gulf coast pretty tightly and extending all the way to South America, so they're pretty scarce in cooler, drier Northern GA. I just got lucky that this guy was wandering about, especially so late in the season. His wings have a gorgeous iridescence to them that other checkered-skippers lack, and I hope this isn't the last I see of this species!

[northerlyy]

Checkered-skipper (Genus Burnsius), taken September 3, 2025, in Georgia, US

A tiny skipper perched on the tip of a grass seed cluster! This individual sure took its time to settle down, fluttering in circles for minutes without landing, but it was quite the good model after it found a spot that checked all its boxes. Skippers can be quite picky about their perches, always trying to find the ideal sunlit perch to show off their wings. This one couldn't find any sun, but it at least got to show off a little!

[northerlyy]

Checkered-skipper (Genus Burnsius), male, taken June 1, 2025, in Georgia, US

A little skipper posing for me in the sunlight! This is either a Common Checkered-skipper (B. communis) or a White Checkered-skipper (B. albezens), though distribution data points towards B. communis. The two species are notably hard to visually distinguish from one another in the field, though in some cases it can be done, as B. communis males occasionally have patterning that B. albezens does not (this is not one of those individuals). Either way, this is a male, as males of this genus have a pale blue abdomen that fades slightly into the wings, while females are black/dark brown instead! They're quite hard to photograph unless you can get them from afar because while they do like to land and spread their wings, they spook quite easily to movement in their proximity. This guy let me get some lovely pictures of him, though, as he spread his wings in the sun!