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I have learned to carry my camera at all times when working in the garden. This morning the tropical checkered skippers took me on a fun chase around the yard.

I read that the skippers are the fastest flyers of the lepidopteran species, up to 37 miles per hour, which compared to other butterflies of 5 to 10 miles per hour is pretty darn fast.

The female skippers are darker in color, while the males have blue coloring. They were flying in pairs today.

With the rainy season in full swing in Southwest Florida, the grass has grown quite long inviting these skippers to the yard.

They are low flyers, and often times hard to follow, as they have erratic flights with only 2.5 to 3.0 centimeter wing span.

The caterpillar host plant is that of the hibiscus family. The eggs are small and green and laid on young leaves, as well as flowers. The caterpillars will fold the leaves together to make shelters.

Another morning spent outdoors was deemed a huge success, as my five-year-old daughter has an incredible eye! She spotted our little skipper friend in the grass. I am happy to say we identified this little butterfly correctly, it is a tropical checkered skipper, burnsius oileus.

It just goes to show persistence and patience will eventually lead to the ideal photographs, the little skipper openings its wings.

This little beauty only has a wingspan of 1 to 1 1/2 inches and has a super rapid, darting flight close to the ground. The male has bluish-white hairs and will feed, or perch while spreading its wings, according to the Alabama Butterfly Atlas.