I took this pretty picture during a great workshop with David Speiser at Nickerson Beach through the New York City Audubon Society.
Skippers (family Hesperidae) make up roughly one third of all the butterfly species in North America. Sometimes regarded as distinct from true butterflies, they differ in having the club of the antenna bent, with a narrow extension (apiculus) in most species and in details of the wing veins. Most skippers have stout bodies, wide heads, and relatively small wings, and many of them are very fast flyers.
I photograph insects with a dedicated macro lens that allows me to get within inches of the subject and can capture lots of detail. I have observed that many insects and plants have a hairy surface called indumentums. The body hairs on bees are branched or feather-like making them well adapted for retaining pollen grains that the bee brushes against as it moves about on a flower. Much of this pollen is transferred by the bee from its body hairs to the pollen baskets on the outer surfaces of the hind legs.
I had the best time the last couple of weeks taking pictures at one of my favorite ponds in Shrewbury, Vermont.
