Not Alarmed but why?

Stan Gorodenski stan_gorodenski at asualumni.org
Thu Jul 21 12:59:59 EDT 2005


Recently I observed a Silver Spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus) feeding 
on a thistle head. A hummingbird flew very close by it to a spot 
opposite to the position of the skipper where it proceeded to feed also. 
It amazed me that the skipper did not get alarmed and fly off because if 
I or my net were to come this close it would do jus that. I'm guessing 
that the biggest threat of predation comes from birds which are closer 
to the size of the hummingbird, not large animals this size of us. Can 
anyone give an explanation for this differential response? Is the size 
of the hummingbird below the trigger threshhold level for a response, 
for example?
Stan


 
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