Skippers are the unsung and underappreciated butterflies of the garden. They are not big, or bold, or fancy like the swallowtails.  They don’t have their own rescue and Facebook groups like the monarchs, at least not to my knowledge.  People don’t obsess over the fate of the skippers; in fact, many people never even notice them.

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  Silver spotted

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  Small

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  Hobomok

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  Small skipper and sharpshooter on anise hyssop

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  Dingy

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  Small skipper on buddleia

But to me, skippers are the stalwarts. They will hang out anywhere: from weed patches to rose gardens.  They are not picky. They happily go about their way, quietly pollinating and gently minding their own business.  Their colors are generally not so flashy as their larger cousins, but they have beauty and charm nonetheless. The photos below are all of Hobomok skippers (except one dingy–can you find him?) on lavender, coneflower and wallflower.

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  Skipper

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  Skipper

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  Skipper

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And although the cabbage whites are not skippers, like the skipper they are always around but much harder to photograph. I’ve also included a pearl crescent and a tiny Eastern tailed blue.  Their movements are fast and darting, just like the skippers.

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  Cabbage whites

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  Cabbage white on lavender

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  Skipper

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