Corralitas Public Staircase: Skipper

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 6, 2013.  I am not an expert, but I'm guessing this might be a Fiery Skipper (Hylephila phyleus) drinking pollen from the native dandelions on the Corralitas Public Staircase.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

However, the Bugman of Mt. Washington on What's That Bug? admits in post after post,  identifying the species of Skipper is a job best left to the Skipper experts, because there are just too many similar species. 

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 6, 2013.  Check out the long curling tongue as it takes off from the flower.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 6, 2013.  In flight, the tongue rolling into a perfect spiral, as it "skips" off to the next flower.

There must have been dozens of these small (inch-long), orange & brown butterflies fluttering around the dandelions toward the bottom of the Corralitas Public Staircase. 

In general, this summer, I've noticed way more butterflies of all species than ever before. 

Corralitas Drive: More Skippers

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 19, 2013.  There are 2 less than an inch long Skipper butterflies on the same batch of flowers.   (Click on photo to enlarge.) 

There are dozens of Skipper species, only experts can tell them apart.  These were not the  Skippers with bright orange markings, I'd seen off the Corralitas Public Staircase a few weeks ago. 

Historic Viaduct Footings: Skipper

Photo: Diane Edwardson, July 19, 2014.  A tiny golden brown butterfly, a Skipper (don't ask me what kind), seemed to be just resting for a while near the historic viaduct footings.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Corralitas Public Staircase: Native Wild Hyacinth Attracts Skippers

Photo: Diane Edwardson February 15, 2015.  After a couple of years without native Wild Hyacinth (AKA "Blue Dicks") on Corralitas due to drought, I was particularly pleased to see the long stemmed plants topped with paper-thin purple flowers attracting a small brown butterfly, a type of Skipper (of which there are dozens species in LA County).

Wild Hyacinth is a perennial, returning to the same location, every year (when we have rain). 

The Butterfly Bonanza continues tomorrow.

Red Car Property: Butterfly, Not A Moth

Photo: Diane Edwardson, June 12, 2015  Skippers are small, not so pretty, common butterflies, but they are pollinators.  There are dozens of species of Skippers in Los Angeles County.  This is most likely a Fiery Skipper, one of the most common in the area, seen here on the north end of the Red Car Property. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Red Car Property: Black Butterfly - New To The Neighborhood

Photo: Diane Edwardson, March 28, 2015.  For the past month and for the first time,  I'd been seeing these 1.5-inch, black to black-brown butterflies with a narrow band of white on edge of their rear wings.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

They are very hard to get a photo of, as they are in constant motion.  Since they were new to me, I consulted Dan Cooper, biologist, Cooper Ecological. He confirmed, "It's a skipper, called a Funereal Duskywing. Actually the duskywings are tough to tell apart, but funereal seems to be the dominant 'urban' one."

Photo: Diane Edwardson, March 28, 2015.  Wild radish flowers have been attracting all kinds of butterflies, particularly on the north end of the Red Car Property.  Cooper added, "They love legumes, especially deerweed, but probably nectar on just about anything."

This particular duskywing was more brownish.  Most of what appears to be the same species were very black little butterflies.  That's what caught my attention.

Read more: 2011-2012 Common Butterflies of Griffith Park Field Guide