Problema

[herschel.raney at conwaycorp.net]

Perfect genus name. All the skipper genera should have been so 
profound. Ahem.

Here is the question. I am a new Leper (this is what my Odonate 
watching friends refer to it as). And that is a long story. But I have 
been running up a species list for a local Wildlife Management 
Area that is in North Central Arkansas at less than 500 feet. 
Basically it includes the woodlands and slight rolling hills 
surrounding a large Cypress Swamp. I have discovered a large 
local group of Speyeria diana that is a pure pleasure (and what, 
pray tell, are they doing in a Cypress Swamp?). But also in a small 
cut clearing along a trail there I have discovered a cluster of 
Problema byssus (Byssus Skipper). Lovely little gals as Skippers 
go. And I have seen nothing but females according to the various 
guides. But what they do is in the late afternoon all the Problema 
ladies perch up in this clearing upon small Hickory saplings less 
than 3 feet tall and fold those wings open. They all align 
themselves with their backs directed toward the dropping sun. 
There are four or five saplings and usually four or five Skippers all 
facing the same direction. They look like orange and black fighter 
jets awaiting instructions. Once in position they become invader 
detectors and if a grasshopper or a Widow Skimmer or a Common 
Whitetail dragonfly has the unadulterated boldness to fly into the 
Skipper sunning area then first one and then all of the Skippers 
give chase up to the edge of the clearing and then swirl around 
madly after each other and then take up their ready positions for 
the next run. These things have made me fold over laughing with 
this craziness. And again, they appear to be all females. What in 
the hell is up with these Problemas?


				Herschel Raney
				Conway, Arkansas

 
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