Phyleus Skipper
Fiery Skipper
Hylephila phyleus
Photo taken at Phoenix, Arizona.
This small butterfly is a frequent visitor to the flowers of lantana, a shrub that is widely planted in the urban areas of the Sonoran Desert. The flowers have a good nectar supply that is located at the bottom of a long narrow tube. The butterfly unfurls its curled proboscis in order to reach it and suck it up by means of a powerful pump.
The caterpillars of Phyleus Skippers use another common urban planting as a food plant: Bermuda Grass. Look for the caterpillars on taller Bermuda grass plants that grow up along fences or in flower beds.