Rare Butterfly – Dun Skipper

Nature Reports
By J. Millen

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Andrew Fyson writes:

I saw a Dun Skipper this morning (photo attached) on the trail into the Provincial Park Butterfly Reserve (near NW Rd). Keep an eye out for them on the Settlement Lands and in sunny spots in Central Park. They have been seen in both place in previous years. The butterfly is small (much smaller than Checkerspot) and brown (almost purplish) and it rests/nectars often with wings half open.

Dun Skipper, Euphyes vestris. Photo by Andrew Fyson

Andrew

Some notes on the Dun Skipper Euphyes vestris: A member of the family Hesperiidae (“Skippers”). Skippers derive their name from their rapid, darting flight patterns. Skippers are typically a small to medium sized butterfly with limited colour variation (usually orange, grey, brown or black with white patterning), though a few species have brighter iridescent colouration.

Status: COSEWIC (Canada) – threatened; BC – Blue listed