The Curse of India (Lantana camara) is, as I explained in an earlier post, very attractive to butterflies. Here is a Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus) with its proboscis forming a loop in front of its face, as it transfers it to another flower. Skippers are a group of about 3500 species named because of their rapid, darting flight patterns. They are characterized by a body large in proportion to their wings, large compound eyes, and recurved tips on their antennae. Many species are small, dull brown or gray, and very difficult to identify in the field. The Silver-spotted Skipper shown here is among the easiest to identify. No other species in our area has a characteristic large white streak on its underwing.

Silver-spotted Skipper on Lantana