Skippers are insects in the order Lepidoptera, which includes butterflies and moths in addition to skippers. Members of this large insect order can be found all over the world, and many people are particularly interested in them because some representatives of this order are strikingly beautiful, with distinctive coloration which makes them very easy to identify. Skippers are less brilliantly colored than their butterfly relatives, but they are still a topic of interest for some people.

At first glance, a skipper can look a great deal like a butterfly. Like butterflies, skippers have six legs, and two sets of wings used for flight. They tend to favor environments with lots of flowers, feeding on pollen and nectar, and they are diurnal, active during the day and sleeping at night. They reproduce by laying eggs which hatch into larvae, and the larvae spin cocoons for incubation before developing into mature skippers.

There are some distinct differences between skippers and butterflies which can be used to distinguish between the two. One defining characteristic of the skipper is its flight, which tends to be very darting, with the insects seeming to skip from place to place. This characteristic is so distinctive that skippers are actually named for it.

Physically, there are a few differences between skippers and butterflies which can be seen upon careful inspection. The antennae of skippers are smooth, rather than lightly feathered, and they hook backwards, rather than clubbing at the ends. Skippers and butterflies hold their wings differently as well, with skippers holding their wings at different angles so that both wings in each pair can be easily seen. Skippers also have muscular, stocky bodies when compared with slender butterflies.

Skippers have their own family, Hesperiidae, within the Lepidoptera order. There are around 3,500 species of skippers, all-told, and more are constantly being identified. Much to the frustration of biologists, many skippers look alike, making it extremely hard to identify them reliably. It is important to have a very good eye when identifying skippers, as subtle differences can place skippers in entirely different genera or species.