Skippers, Darters

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropoda

Subphylum: Hexapoda

Class: Insecta

Order: Lepidoptera

Family: Hesperiidae

There are about 4,000 species of small to medium sized butterflies in this family. They get the name "skipper" from their flight pattern. They tend to skip from place to place with very fast wing movement!

Skippers are usually duller in color than most species of butterfly. Most skippers are brown or gray and are often confused with moths. When they are at rest, the species in this family rest their wings on their backs like moths, not vertically like most species of butterflies.

Like other butterfly species, they have clubbed antennae, and they are active during the day. The ends of their clubbed antennae hook backwards. Most species have a large, thick thorax and small wings.The larvae of skippers and darters usually feed at night. They eat a variety of grasses and leaves. There are over 300 species of skippers found in North America.