Silver-spotted Skipper, Miner

The intense heat and humidity have continued without apparent end, but, unlike in runs of Dog Days past, I simply refuse to give into lethargy. There's too much to do... and observe. Today, while I was watching the purple umbels of the now-ubiquitous Joe Pye Weed for butterflies, I noticed—or, closer to the truth, my nose noticed—the blossoms of a Ground Nut, which is one of the most powerful smelling plants on the planet. The Ground Nut vine was twining around a Joe Pye stem, and on it, no doubt also attracted to the flower, was perhaps my favorite member of the lepidopteran group known as the Skippers. These smallish and common are often frustratingly difficult butterflies to identify—particularly if you're not inclined to collect them for the close inspection they require to figure out their species designation—so, often, I simply note the distinctive antennae with their characteristic hooked club, flag the image as belonging to the butterfly family Hesperiidae and move on. But this beauty is different: the Silver-spotted Skipper, which bears a large white patch on the hind wing, is unmistakable. And always a gift.