Cassius Blues are very small. You guys know, they're like the same size as Eastern-Tailed Blues. I like to point them out to people at the museum because so many people don't even realize they're butterflies. I tell them just like people, they come in all shapes and sizes. Their host plant, plumbago, is super common in this area. The blue one I have isn't the native plumbago; that one blooms white. But everyone has the blue ones around here. You can buy them at any big box store. I once saw Cassius Blues mating on a plumbago planted alongside a parking lot in downtown Tampa. If you have plumbagos, and you don't spray them, you'll have Cassius Blues.

Is this a skipper? It's a tiny thing, about the same size as the Cassius Blues too. It also has a pretty long proboscis.

If I saw it flying in my yard, I'd call it a skipper! Of course, I could always be wrong!

I vote for skipper Christine. Great photos btw.
Melanie, it doesn't look like you had such a so-so butterfly day. My hubs hates plumbago otherwise I would have some. He puts it in the "little old lady plant" category he has so i don't even think about having it b/c I would have to listen to him grumble every single day. He hates peonies too -- "little old lady flowers". Oh well.

I hate a ton of catching up putting photos in the db so I'm going to be working on getting caught up with that tonight & there are butterflies all mixed in with those photos so hopefully I'll be posting those too to get up to date here.

Definitely a Skipper, but I've never seen one with those particular markings. Must be a Texas thing. Very pretty!

I thought it looks like a skipper but it's so tiny!

The Least Skipper is one of the smallest butterflies in North America. Most skippers are pretty small.

Okay, we're watching some nature show about African predators and it's been disturbing on several levels. And I'm used to nature being cruel! So I'm typing distracted here. Leopard mating...eek!

I never get used to how cruel nature can be either!
I think I might have found the name of my skipper, Celia's Roadside Skipper. http://www.butterfliesandmoths...
http://www.carolinanature.com/...

That sure does look like it! I love the scalloped border of the wings. But did they name it after a roadside diner where it was first spotted or something?

They let the pet cat that was there for the Mice name it Melanie , Potatoes on the wing , to go with tales , The cat"s name was potato
Melanie above ,,,

If you ask me, some people are crueler than any animal out in nature could possibly ever be!

I think you found the ID Christine!
True Linda, sad but true. At least for the most part animals are doing it to eat.

Giant Swallowtail



Long Tailed Skipper

OOPS! Missed posting this one. It SURE didn't want it's photo taken. Wanted to play keep away as if it thought I was going to eat it.

flaflwrgrl It probably had thought you were going to ,, Thought the sedum would be a good place for cover , like you would get a big mouthful of sedum if you did ,
The butterflies here do that also , the move to the back of the flower bed or to another if it bothers them ,
One cat here chases them ,

Linda, sad truth! and like Ann said, mostly, natures creatures kill for food.

I thought Celia's Roadside Skipper was a funny name!

I've always loved the long tailed skippers. Around here I only see them out in the forest where they are quite elusive!

Jim, yes, I suppose it did think I was going to eat it. Maybe they think the camera lens is a big black mouth part. Funny how you can get real close to them until you stick the lens up there & then they're all, "WHOA! I'm getting out of here before I get et!"

Ha, I might eat sedum but that's juniper -- might hurt my mouth eating that.

I see Long-Tailed Skippers all the time! See, that's why I like this forum. What's common to one of us can be very special to someone else. So we all get to have fun!

FYI, if I ever get to name something, I told Mom I would name if after her. Her first and middle names are Carolan Joy so I figure if I had a cultivar of something, I would name it 'Carolan's Joy'. Now, I just have to find an opportunity!

Okay, back to work for me. I stopped to have a snack. Buttered popcorn & raisinettes. YUM!

Yuck! Ann is one of "those people".