Sister & Skipperling

-H and I were in the Glorieta and Pecos area of eastern Santa Fe and western San Miguel Counties in northern New Mexico. This morning was a nastalgic one for me and Heidi got roped into a little memory lane tour. I spent 2 weeks during each of 11 consecutive summers, with my family, in that area while growing up. Interesting to see the place as an adult. It was nice to share the re-visit with my wonderful and shorter half.

Great birds in the area. We also ran across this Arizona Sister (Adelpha eulalia)


while we were sifting through a couple mixed flocks of birds. Always a beauty of a bug to come across it was not new for us, however to our backs of this picture we happened across a life bird; the Evening Grosbeak (Coccothraustes vespertinus). Actually saw 30+ along the Ponderosa and Pinyon Pines. We were thrilled, obviously.

Not long after, we grabbed lunch at a place that was luckily still thriving and then we went out toward the Pecos-area.

While traipsing along a small lake we happened upon a new skipperling. Not an overtly gaudily colorful bug and perhaps not of interest to many of you all, but we were certainly happy.



Not much larger than a dime, the Russet Skipperling (Piruna pirus) is local in the central and southern portion of the Rockies. This guy was observed in a moist, grassy gully.

Always nice to add a new skipperling to this life's observations. Not always easy due to size. Quite easy to unknowingly walk by.