Skipping Sachems

It's mid-afternoon, sunny, warm and breezy and numerous Sachems (Atalopedes campestris) are migrating through, counting about 25 in the last 45 minutes. They dart from flower to flower, sometimes with 2 or 3 fighting for a flower and then zooming off to the other side of the garden and then back again.

They are part of the great family, Skippers, and are in a small Genus, Polites Scudder of just 10 species, all in North America, 6 occurring in the East and only 2 with ranges that extend beyond the US. Most of them are small, orange and black and have short antennae.

The dark wings and transparent square spots at the end help identify 

this beautiful female Sachem. 

Set against a colorful backdrop of zinnias, a Sachem Skipper inserts 

its proboscis quickly into the flower 

  down deep, obtaining nectar for it's long flight,

 and then back out again.

 The large black dot on the forewing of this handsome skipper identifies the male Sachem. 

Only a little over an inch long, this little guy, froze and then 

slowly stuck his proboscis at me.

The chevon on the outer upper wing, also is commonly seen in Sachem Skippers. 

They are headed down South, passing over southern US, through Mexico and mainland tropical America to Brazil, where they will overwinter.

For further information: https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Atalopedes-campestris

Peterson Field Guide, Eastern Butterflies, 1998.