I assume they are butterflies, but either way, they were very busy gathering nectar this afternoon. If anyone can identify them, please do so in the comments. Thanks! EDITED: Thanks to Emilio we now know that these are Western Branded Skippers (Hesperia colorado). (Or they are Hesperia nevada – it’s hard to tell)
Handsome!
Getting nectar from the flower.
In this last one I was able to capture her (him?) eating the nectar.
Carissa Snedeker Photography 
Moth’s are typically nocturnal, butterflies are normally active during the day. By that definition, I would say these are butterflies. The wings are pretty small, I don’t recognize the species.
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Thanks. Yes, they are pretty small. Thanks for the info on nocturnal vs diurnal. Very helpful.
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http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/butterfly/allabout/Bflyormoth.shtml
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colorful and nicely framed 🙂
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Thank you, joshi!
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WOW! These are all amazing and great shots dear Carissa, fascinated me. Thanks and Love, nia
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Thanks, nia!
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I’m not sure if they’re moths or butterflies. I bet Emilio can tell you. 🙂
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hesperia_(butterfly)
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You rock. Thanks.
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Again with the rock thing! . . . sheesh . . .
I should have mentioned I hope to photograph one of them sometime. They look neat.
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Looks like it is this particular one. http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Hesperia-colorado
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I was wondering between that one and the Nevada one. There are other pictures of both that are similar to yours (again, lighting and reflections differences between multiple photos make it difficult to compare).
The markings in the wings look brighter on the photos of the Nevada one, but it may depend on flash usage and such.
Regardless, the similarities between the two are enough I’m happy with tossing a coin for one picture, and going opposite on the next.
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Yeah, that’s what I’m thinking too. They both look so alike…coin toss indeed.
For those of you wondering the Hesperia juba wiki article is here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hesperia_nevada
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These shots are just excellent, Carissa. Great details captured and I love the colors. 🙂
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Thank you, Inga!
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Fantastic details… I’m leaning toward moth for some reason!!
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Thanks for the kind words. It has been determined that these are indeed butterflies.
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Thats why I’ll stick to being a computer geek for a living 🙂
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Love the photos. Again, I want a macro lens. And what is the difference between a moth and butterfly? Ok, don’t bother. I’ll google it!
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I didn’t take these with a macro lens. Just my 28-135mm. Check out the link from David near the top of the thread. It explains the difference between moths and butterflies.
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Wow, that info opens up so much for me. I’ve got a 55- 250. Now, if I could only find some insects. The humidity has brought out cockroaches (thankfully only outdoors) but only at night. One of these days, though…
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Ugh…I would not want to get near any cockroaches. (shudder)
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I hear they are good eating, especially when juicy. Although some cultures prefer them crunchy, I think were I to partake I would not be chewing on them.
. . . also, I think I would pull the antennae . . . they are likely to tickle on the way down.
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I realize this is cultural, but even when I wasn’t a vegetarian, I couldn’t wrap my mind around eating insects or grubs, even though I am aware that many, many people across the globe eat them as part of their regular diet, and that they are good sources of protein.
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Mind you, I hope to never be in a situation where I will have to eat insects . . . but if faced with the possibility, they better be dipped in honey, covered with a thick layer of chocolate, wrapped in egg-bread dough, deep-fried, and sprinkled with powdered sugar.
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In which case, you wouldn’t need the insects (if you already had chocolate, egg bread dough, honey and powdered sugar)! 🙂
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These are lovely captures magnificent photos… I hope someone above has helped with the ID… great photos..
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Yep, Emilio (disperser) got us all straightened out. 🙂
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