Observation date: June 10, 2023
Submitted by: seemayer
Specimen type: Photograph
Observation notes: are the guides you are using for skipper id published? all i have been using is Swift guide to NA . plus the occaisional online search which is usually pretty fruitless for skippers.
Status: Resident
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: July 12, 2023
Coordinator notes: An example of how I identified this particular submitted picture. I first downloaded it so I could zoom in or shift image to various positions assuming I'd need to to see clearly the edges of both forewings and hind wings as well as amount and pattern of the faint spots of forewing. I then pulled up a regional checklist of Kansas butterflies on this site, going thru most skippers and brought up ALL those skippers that remotely resembled this one on laptop to compare. I always do this process of elimination concerning mostly Duskywings and anything in the skipper family. Only two stood out which was the Dun and Eufala Skippers. This skipper in image here had the much more deeper black/brown color and smaller faint spots on forewings which Eufala does not have. So I'm now confident this is Euphyes vestris. If I'm confident yet a map of sightings shows the butterfly is a bit out of range I will check more in depth on appearance online googling butterfly for images, which you have to be careful of. I didn't need to this time, but I also will use various publications one being very good The Butterflies Of North America by William H. Howe - A MUST book for identification. Some species/subspecies have been re-named and shifted but must have this book. I also will use other books from other states at times, example Butterflies And Moths Of Missouri by J. Richard & Joan E. Heitzman. I was able to ident a moth here in Kansas confidently using the Missouri species plates of that book. I saw a checkerspot on this site from CA that was in question so got out the William H. Howe book and my first book as a kid The Butterflies Of Southern California by Thomas C. Emmel & John F. Emmel to ident. Most if not all of my books are out of print but they can normally be found on Amazon or Ebay. Hope this helps. My email is jasstylist@yahoo.com if you have more questions feel free. I'm still working on the other skippers you submitted and that caterpillar on the senna which is seeming to be a possible moth. Thanks! JAMES STEEN
