Which families of butterflies fly the fastest? How fast is fast?
That’s an excellent question! Personally, I struggle to keep up with most nymphalids because of their size and speed; they can cover a lot of ground quickly. Additionally, they tend to fly more purposefully compared to skippers or lycaenids, which, despite being fast, fly more erratically and thus cover less ground overall. What do you think @Peter_Hall and @kmcfarland ?
I am pretty sure for short bursts, skippers are the fastest. I have read cases in which they are clocked at over 35 miles per hour!
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Yes. But i get the most exercise with the large fritillaries. They seem to knife through the air. Something to do with the scales minimizing drag, i believe.
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