The Tiny Guardian

The little skipper butterflies would seem to be the most benevolent creatures in the Appalachian Mountains.  They have no claws, no stinger and their mouths are nothing more than tubes to sip nectar through.  But over the past few days I’ve noticed that one has taken up residence on my porch.  He’s claimed everything within a few feet to be his and his alone. And he defends his claim fearlessly! It started when I noticed him perched on one of the posts and that he seemed to continue to return to the same spot several times per day.  Then I noticed a large Tiger Swallowtail interested in the primrose growing up near my carport.  The little skipper sprung into action and few a sortie around the primrose battering the Swallowtail with its wings. The Swallowtail is much larger but the agile little skipper kept up his relentless pursuit into forest and soon returned victorious. Then another skipper made its approach to the treasured flower and was also quickly vanquished. The little guy even executed successful counterattacks on paper wasps and mud daubers throughout the day. He’s quite the warrior! And the I spotted another skipper leisurely feeding on the primrose. The first skipper didn’t seem to mind and actually joined the second on the flowers.  It was at that point I realized what was going on.  He was guarding that food source for her. This was his mate. For the rest of the day they shared the nectar and occasionally the post that functioned as his command center.  I’m certain that she’s going to lay her eggs on the hog peanut vine that I discovered a while back and ensure that I have a plentiful supply of tiny little skipper butterflies in the future.  They say that it’s not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog.  The little skipper butterfly reminded me of that today when he took on two nests of wasps and won even though he’s seemingly unarmed.

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