Everything about The Small Skipper totally explained
The
Small Skipper Thymelicus sylvestris butterfly of the
Hesperiidae family.
Appearance, behaviour and distribution
It has a rusty orange colour to the wings, upper body and the tips of the antennae. The body is silvery white below and it has a wingspan of 25 -30 mm. This butterfly is very similar in appearance to the
Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola. In the Small Skipper, the undersides of the tips of the antennae are yellow orange, whereas they're black in the Essex Skipper. The black area on the lower edge of the upper wings also differs. Like the other orange 'grass skippers' the male has a distinctive black stripe made up of scent scales. This butterfly's range includes southern
Britain, much of
Europe, north
Africa and the
Middle East, typically occurring where grass has grown tall.
Lifecycle and foodplants
Eggs are laid loosely inside grass sheathes of the
caterpillars foodplants from July to August. The newly hatched caterpillars eat their own eggshell before entering hibernation individually in a protective
cocoon of a grass sheath sealed with
silk. In the spring the caterpiller begins feeding. The favoured food plant is
Yorkshire Fog Holcus lanatus, although other recorded foodplants include
Timothy Phleum pratense,
Creeping Soft Grass Holcus mollis,
False Brome Brachypodium sylvaticum,
Meadow Foxtail Alopecurus pratensis and
Cock's foot Dactylis glomerata. The caterpillars pupate near the base of the foodplant in June with the first adults on the wing at the end of June, a week or two before the first Essex Skippers.They are strongly attracted to purple flowers such as
Thistles and
Knapweeds.
References and external links
Further Information
Get more info on 'Small Skipper'.
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