 Wingspan
27 - 34mm |
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Small Skipper
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Thymelicus sylvestris
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Poda, 1761 |
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Ref: 1526 |
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| Superfamily: | Hesperioidea |
| Family: | Hesperiidae |
| Subfamily: | Hesperiinae |
| Genus: | Thymelicus |
| Subgenus: | |
| Species: | sylvestris |
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Male |
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Male Underside |
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Female |
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Female Underside |
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This golden skipper is often found basking on vegetation, or making short buzzing flights among tall grass stems. Despite its name, 4 skipper species found in the British Isles are the same size or smaller than the Small Skipper. The male is distinguished from the female by the sex brand on its forewings, which is a slightly curved line of specialised scent scales.
This butterfly is widespread in southern Britain, living in discrete colonies of both small and large populations.
The adults are on the wing in late June, through July, and into August. 
This species inhabits rough grassland, where tall grasses grow, and may occur on roadside verges, beside hedgerows, on overgrown downland, in woodland clearings and along woodland rides. The main foodplant is Yorkshire-fog, a common grass in the British Isles, although other grasses are also used.
The primary larval foodplant is Yorkshire-fog (Holcus lanatus). Cock's-foot (Dactylis glomerata), Creeping Soft-grass (Holcus mollis), False Brome (Brachypodium sylvaticum), Meadow Foxtail (Alopecurus pratensis) and Timothy (Phleum pratense) are also used.
Adults feed primarily on Betony (Stachys officinalis), Bird's-foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), Bramble (Rubus fruticosus agg.), Dandelion (Taraxacum agg.), Devil's-bit Scabious (Succisa pratensis), Fleabane (Pulicaria dysenterica), Knapweeds (Centaurea spp.), Marjoram (Origanum vulgare), Red Clover (Trifolium patense), Sanfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia), Thistles (Cirsium spp. and Carduus spp.) and Vetches (Vicia spp.).
The male Small Skipper is territorial, and can be found resting on suitable perches from which it intercepts any passing butterfly. The male is the more active of the two sexes; females being more sedentary. Females exhibit unusual behaviour when egg-laying. The female will alight on a dead stem of Yorkshire-fog, and then move backwards down the stem, probing the sheath as she moves. When a suitable opening in the furled sheath has been found, she will lay several eggs inside. Both sexes are nectar-loving, and can be found visiting flowers such as Thistles and Red Clover.
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Small skipper at Chobham Heath June 2009
Sezar Hikmet
Photo © sahikmet
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Small skipper at Chobham Heath June 2009
Sezar Hikmet
Photo © sahikmet
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Small skipper Chobham Heath 27 06 2009
Sezar Hikmet
Photo © sahikmet
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Description to be completed
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Thymelicus sylvestris ab. pallida. Berwickshire. Scottish Borders. July 02/ 2010. IAC.
Photo © IAC
02-Jul-2010 |
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As many as 8 oval-shaped eggs may be laid in a row inside a leaf sheath of the foodplant. They are white when first laid, but gradually turn pale yellow. Eggs hatch in around 3 weeks.
The larva eats its eggshell on hatching, and subsequently spins a dense silk cocoon around itself, still inside the grass sheath. The larva hibernates within the cocoon, alongside other cocoons formed by its siblings. The larva emerges from the cocoon in April to live a solitary existence. It forms a tube by spinning together the edges of a leaf and, in early instars, feeds within the tube. In later instars the larva feeds outside the tube, leaving characteristics notches in the grass blade. The larva will move to new leaves, creating new suitably-sized tubes, as needed. The larva moults 4 times in total.
When fully-grown, the larva spins a tent of leaves at the base of the foodplant within which it pupates. The pupa is attached to a grass blade within the tent, attached by a silken girdle and the cremaster. The pupal stage lasts around 2 weeks.
Essex Skipper and Small Skipper can be distinguished by the colour of the underside of the tips of the antennae. In the Essex Skipper, this area is black and in the Small Skipper it is brown. This holds true for both sexes.
Essex Skipper (left) and Small Skipper (right)
Males can also be distinguished by the sex brand found on the upperside of their forewings. The sex brand of a male Essex Skipper is relatively-short when compared with that of the male Small Skipper. The sex brand of a male Essex Skipper also runs parallel with the leading edge of the forewing, but at an angle in the male Small Skipper.
Male Essex Skipper (left) and Male Small Skipper (right)
Description to be completed
Description 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. |
 | Arnside Knott, Bedfont Lakes Country Park LNR, Chobham Common, Latton Woods |  | Bentley Wood, Malling Down, Moors Valley Country Park |  | Bishop Middleham Quarry, Fleam Dyke, Lower Woods, Mill Hill |  | |  | | | Not rated | Ashampstead Common, Hounslow Heath LNR, Mayford Pond |
The status of the Small Skipper is considered stable and this delightful little skipper has even expanded its distribution slightly in recent years. |
| Not Listed |  | Insufficient Data |
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:
- A Natural History of British Butterflies, by F.W.Frohawk.
- British and Irish Butterflies, by Adrian M. Riley
- South's British Butterflies, by T.G.Howarth (which is based extensively on the classic work, "The Butterflies of the British Isles", by Richard South).
- The Butterflies of Britain and Ireland, by Jeremy Thomas and Richard Lewington.
- The Millennium Atlas of Butterflies in Britain and Ireland, by Jim Asher, Martin Warren, Richard Fox, Paul Harding, Gail Jeffcoate, Stephen Jeffcoate.
- The Moths and Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland Volume 7 (1) Hesperiidae to Nymphalidae (the Butterflies), by A. Maitland Emmet and John Heath (editors).
- The State of Butterflies in Britain and Ireland, Richard Fox, Jim Asher, Tom Brereton, David Roy and Martin Warren.
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![c 1526 Small Skipper larva 10 01#001 [Ben Smart]](phpBB/gallery/images/upload/cfabfc6254fe5736fe9d63c7fa9489cc.jpg "c 1526 Small Skipper larva 10 01#001 [Ben Smart]")
![c 1526 Small Skipper larw 10 21#001 [Ben Smart]](phpBB/gallery/images/upload/106ce13cdfe403d7880e932e91ad700c.jpg "c 1526 Small Skipper larw 10 21#001 [Ben Smart]")
![c 1526 Small Skipper larw 10 23#001 [Ben Smart]](phpBB/gallery/images/upload/5206e08dce3b994157118a3e179ce3c7.jpg "c 1526 Small Skipper larw 10 23#001 [Ben Smart]")
![c 1526 Small Skipper pupa 10 03#001 [Ben Smart]](phpBB/gallery/images/upload/b46ad232e0bf27716ef5cddd47dfec6c.jpg "c 1526 Small Skipper pupa 10 03#001 [Ben Smart]")
![DSCN9556#001 [Ben Smart]](phpBB/gallery/images/upload/b508e08142bd65ea9cd24999f7408459.jpg "DSCN9556#001 [Ben Smart]")
