This little skipper is called a “whirlabout skipper,” “polites vibex.” It’s a great name because it sure darts quickly from place to place. The excitement radiated off my daughter when she spotted yet another new skipper in our front butterfly garden this morning.

This skipper has a wingspan of 2.5 to 3.2 centimeters. The wing pattern is pretty neat, as the male’s underside is yellow-orange with two broken rows on its hindwing with contrasting brown spots according to the Alabama Butterfly Atlas. The other side of the wing has yellowish, orange coloring with black borders. The female’s upper side of its wing has dark brown coloring with a row of two to five pale yellow spots near the outer part of the forewing, according to the Alabama Butterfly Atlas.

I am not sure how the eggs survive, as it lays them on grasses with the coloring of the caterpillar varying from green to purple. The caterpillars form “tubular” spaces on leaves, tying them together with silken strands, according to the Alabama Butterfly Atlas. Interesting fact, the caterpillar only leaves their leaf at night to feed. The chrysalis is anywhere from light green with a light, creamy colored middle.