Bronze Roadside-Skipper (Amblysirtes aenus)

Bronze Roadside-Skipper
Amblysirtes aenus

The Bronze Roadside-Skipper (Amblysirtes aenus) is a small skipper which may be fairly common in the southwestern United States. It appears to be most common in parts of New Mexico and Arizona, but there are isolated populations in Texas and Oklahoma as well. The first shot shown here was taken in Austin, Travis Co., Texas, in June, 2009, with a Canon EOS 1D Mark III and EF 300mm F/4 l IS lens and 2X extender and 580 flash. This species is easily confused with other roadside skippers but the bronzy patch visible on the underside of the forewing is a good clue to its identification.