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This warmth-loving skipper is relatively-local, but is fairly easy to identify, since it is the only skipper found in the British Isles that has the distinctive white spots on the underside of the hindwings, which give the butterfly its name. Like other “golden” skippers, the male is distinguished from the female by the sex brand on its forewings, which is a line of specialised scent scales.
This butterfly is restricted to chalk downland sites in southern England and is one of the few species that is increasing its range.
This is one of the latest butterflies to emerge, not appearing until late July or early August, and it is then on the wing until early September. There is one generation each year.
This butterfly is found on chalk grassland that contains short, sparse, turf. This warmth-loving species is typically found on south facing slopes on which its sole foodplant, Sheep's-fescue, grows.
The primary larval foodplant is Sheep's-fescue (Festuca ovina).
Adults feed primarily on Carline Thistle (Carlina vulgaris) and Thistles (Cirsium spp. and Carduus spp.).
Like most skippers, this is a fast-flying species that flies close to the ground, and can be difficult to follow when in flight. The male of this species is more-frequently encountered than the female. Both sexes spend the majority of their time either basking or feeding, and a wide variety of nectar sources is used, including various species of Thistle. The butterfly will find the warmest patches of ground on which to bask, enjoying the warmth of paths, rabbit scrapes and other patches of bare earth which have been baked by the sun. This species is inactive in overcast conditions. The male rests on a suitable sunlit perch, and investigates any passing butterfly, in the hope of finding a mate. If a virgin female is encountered, the pair exhibits a tumbling courtship, with the male eventually forcing the female to the ground where mating takes place. An egg-laying female locates a suitable patch of bare ground, such as a rabbit scrape, and then walks to the edge of the patch looking for a suitable location on which to lay a single egg.
Aberration in this species is usually expressed in either the upperside ground colour (particularly in the female), and the shape and size of the silver spots on the underside. Aberration is generally rare in this species, although different individuals do often vary in the shade of the underside ground colour. In recent years the aberration juncta (Tutt) has been seen on a number of occasions at a site in Hampshire. This aberration is probably caused by a simple recessive gene. In hot summers, specimens with particularly dark upperside ground colour (see ab. suffusa below) have been known to occur with frequency on some sites, giving rise to speculation that this variation in colouration could be environmentally triggered. There are 13 named aberrations known to occur in Britain; a selection is provided here.
ab. albescens (Oberthur) The dark areas and markings on upperside of all four wings replaced by silver-grey. An 'albino' form. ab. conflua (Tutt) On the underside of the hindwings the outer silver spots are united to form a large zig-zag. ab. flava (Tutt) On the underside the spots are yellow instead of the usual silver colour and almost lost against the ground colour. ab. immaculata (Fernandez) The spots on the upperside of all four wings absent. On the underside the hindwings show just a trace of the usual silver spots. ab. juncta (Tutt) On the underside of the hindwings the silver spots are united to form one large silver blotch with just the centre being pale brownish. ab. pallida (Mosley) Upperside a yellowish-bone ground colour on all four wings. ab. suffusa (Tutt) Upperside ground colour suffused with deep tawny brown, the usual fulvous colouration being restricted to just the angulated row of spots and the discal cell of the forewings; together with the transverse row and discal spot of the hind wings.
The conspicuous pale eggs are laid singly on small tufts of the foodplant, or on adjacent plants, where they overwinter. Eggs are often laid close to bare ground, such as rabbit scrapes or animal tracks.
The larva emerges in March, but does not feed on the eggshell. It forms a tent by spinning several leaf blades together from which it feeds, creating a new tent as it grows, and as the surrounding foodplant is eaten. The larva will often wander a considerable distance in order to find a dense tussock in which to pupate.
Before pupation, the larva spins a cocoon very close to the ground, in a grass tussock. This stage lasts around 2 weeks.
Large SkipperDescription to be completed
Click here to see the distribution of this species overlaid with specific site information. Alternatively, select one of the sites listed below.
This butterfly is one of the few species whose fortunes have greatly improved as a result of improvements to the management of chalk grassland sites. However, this is still a species of conservation concern.
From The State of Butterflies in Britain and Ireland and the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UK BAP) (2007 review).
The following links provide additional information on this butterfly.
The species description provided here has been derived from the author's own observations and the information contained in the following works:
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![Silver-Spotted Skipper - ovum - Unknown location - Unknown date (2) [REARED] [Reg Fry]](phpBB/gallery/images/upload/6f2c3a5ab8b27c496de976f0e3f22496.jpg "Silver-Spotted Skipper - ovum - Unknown location - Unknown date (2) [REARED] [Reg Fry]")
![Silver-Spotted Skipper - ovum - Unknown location - Unknown date [REARED] [Reg Fry]](phpBB/gallery/images/upload/8268beaec0f474c84b3e4a0d5f4e2a0f.jpg "Silver-Spotted Skipper - ovum - Unknown location - Unknown date [REARED] [Reg Fry]")
![Silver-Spotted Skipper - larva - Unknown location - Unknown date (2) [REARED] [Reg Fry]](phpBB/gallery/images/upload/3f4de061f57c201f2a2e6672b0f871b3.jpg "Silver-Spotted Skipper - larva - Unknown location - Unknown date (2) [REARED] [Reg Fry]")
![Silver-Spotted Skipper - larva - Unknown location - Unknown date [REARED] [Reg Fry]](phpBB/gallery/images/upload/3486347b0b69b5d16dc7b430ed742fc9.jpg "Silver-Spotted Skipper - larva - Unknown location - Unknown date [REARED] [Reg Fry]")
![Silver-Spotted Skipper - pupa - Unknown location - Uknown date (2) [Reg Fry]](phpBB/gallery/images/upload/8287ba8436370cb656b021661d31201b.jpg "Silver-Spotted Skipper - pupa - Unknown location - Uknown date (2) [Reg Fry]")
![Silver-Spotted Skipper - pupa - Unknown location - Uknown date [Reg Fry]](phpBB/gallery/images/upload/8f8368e4841c8fd9e85a67cc0628dbd9.jpg "Silver-Spotted Skipper - pupa - Unknown location - Uknown date [Reg Fry]")
