Hooray for Skippers!! This is the Propertius Duskywing! [EXPLORE #17! TYVM!!]

I have been very busy with work lately so it's been tough to get out to take pictures, but yesterday the sun was out for a while and I simply HAD to go out and nose around! What fun I had! New flowers and buds everywhere, a picture of a mallard duck hanging out at our seasonal pond, and I went up to the ridge to check on the status of "The 26th Flower of Spring", which hadn't opened yet. It still hasn't but oh BOY!! It's going to be just a couple of days now and promises to be very special!

On the way back down, I saw the flutter of a butterfly and stopped in my tracks, hoping it might land somewhere close enough for a picture. It flitted here and there and then, against all odds, it parked itself on a bunch of twigs where I could easily take its picture if I was careful! YES!!! So, using my Acme Patented "creep and click" method :D :D, I worked my way closer and closer, and lo and behold, I managed to fill the frame with this beautiful butterfly!! In fact, I'll have some extreme close-ups to show at a later date!! I'm beside myself with joy!!! YIPPEE!!! :D

The Propertius Duskywing is a type of butterfly called a skipper, which is in-between a butterfly and a moth. Skippers have stocky, hairy bodies like moths, and knobs at the end of their antennae like butterflies (unlike the lovely feather-like antennae of moths). When resting, they also tend to hold their wings differently, with the hind wings flat and the fore wings up over their body. However, this one is holding its wings moth-like; butterflies tend to hold their wings up over their body. This Duskywing is found in the Pacific Northwest from British Columbia to Baja, California; larval caterpillars eat oak leaves, and adults feed on flower nectar.

If you would like to know more about Duskywings, Wiki has a list of links here: Wiki: Duskywing.
For more information about Skippers, Wiki has a wonderful page here: Wiki: Skippers.

This image was taken in April, 2012. Explored on April 17, 2012.