#white checkered skipper

[stopandlook]

Scientific Name: Burnsius albezens or Burnsius communis Common Name(s): White checkered-skipper or common checkered-skipper Family: Hesperiidae (skipper) Life Stage(s): Adult Location: Dallas, Texas Season(s): Spring

Based on iNaturalist observations, four checkered-skipper (Burnsius) species are found in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. On tropical and desert checkered-skippers (B. oileus and B. philetas, respectively), the small white spots just inside the wing margins extend all the way to the tip of the forewing, whereas they are either very faint or missing on B. albezens and B. communis. Further, the alternating dark/white pattern along the wing margins often (though not always) becomes all dark at the tips of B. oileus forewings.

Examining these features here eliminates two of the four species. But B. albezens and B. communis can be distinguished only by dissection, so for field-ID purposes they are treated as a single entity.

[herbgardenn]

been using my good camera recently!! the ceraunus blues are my favorite to photograph because they’re so tiny and it’s a challenge 🦋