 Wingspan
Male: 29 - 34mm
Female: 31 - 36mm |
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Large Skipper
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Ochlodes faunus
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Turati, 1905 |
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Ref: 1531 |
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| Superfamily: | Hesperioidea |
| Family: | Hesperiidae |
| Subfamily: | Hesperiinae |
| Genus: | Ochlodes |
| Subgenus: | |
| Species: | faunus |
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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 is one of the largest of our “golden” skippers and, like these other skippers, the male has a distinctive sex brand on its forewings containing specialised scent scales.
This species is widespread in England and Wales, becoming scarcer further north and in southern Scotland. This species forms discrete colonies.
The butterfly is on the wing in June and July, with some individuals being seen in August. There is one generation each year. 
This species is found in sheltered areas of grassland, where grasses grow tall. Typical sites include meadows, hedgerows, roadside verges, woodland rides and woodland clearings. It can also be found in urban areas, such as parks and churchyards.
The primary larval foodplant is Cock's-foot (Dactylis glomerata). False Brome (Brachypodium sylvaticum), Purple Moor-grass (Molinia caerulea), Tor-grass (Brachypodium pinnatum) and Wood Small-reed (Calamagrostis epigejoss) are also used.
Adults feed primarily on Bird's-foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), Bramble (Rubus fruticosus agg.), Bugle (Ajuga reptans), Dandelion (Taraxacum agg.), Devil's-bit Scabious (Succisa pratensis), Field Scabious (Knautia arvensis), Kidney Vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria), Knapweeds (Centaurea spp.), Privet (Ligustrum vulgare), Ragged Robin (Lychnis flos-cuculi), Thistles (Cirsium spp. and Carduus spp.), Vetches (Vicia spp.) and Yarrow (Achillea millefolium).
Like many other skippers, the male of this species alternates between perching, patrolling, basking and feeding. Patrolling behaviour is normally exhibited late-morning, with perching behaviour the norm in the early morning and afternoon. When perching, the males will defend their territory vigorously, and see off any butterfly that intrudes. Typical perches are sunlit leaves at a height of around a metre from the ground. Both sexes take nectar, and are particularly fond of Bramble and Thistle. Egg-laying is normally performed during the early afternoon. An egg-laying female makes a short flight in between laying one egg and the next on the underside of a blade of grass.
Description to be completed
Egg-laying sites are normally sheltered spots in sunlight, where the grass grows fairly tall, up to at least 30cm in height. Eggs are white when first laid, gradually becoming orange and then a pearly white just prior to hatching. This stage lasts around 2 weeks.
The larva eats its eggshell on hatching, before forming a protective tube by spinning together the edges of a leaf blade. In the early instars, the larva feeds on the leaf above the tube. In later instars, several leaves may be spun together when forming a tube and the larva may travel further to seek food. The larva creates new tubes as required, either as a result of the lack of food in the immediate vicinity, or its increasing size. After the 4th moult, the larva forms a stout tube in which to hibernate. In spring, the larvae resume feeding and the larval stage may last a lengthy 330 days in total.
The larva moults once more before pupating within a tent that is constructed from several grass blades. The pupal stage lasts approximately 3 weeks.
Description to be completed
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.
This status of this butterfly is considered stable and this species is not currently of conservation concern. |
| Not Listed |  |  |
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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![Large Skipper - larva - Unknown location - Uknown date (3) [Ben Smart]](phpBB/gallery/images/upload/b98578bae54d1a2879541945054a44be.jpg "Large Skipper - larva - Unknown location - Uknown date (3) [Ben Smart]")
![Large Skipper - larva - Unknown location - Uknown date [Ben Smart]](phpBB/gallery/images/upload/6c5022083cd678641a94c22839f709be.jpg "Large Skipper - larva - Unknown location - Uknown date [Ben Smart]")
![Large Skipper - pupa - Unknown location - Uknown date (2) [Ben Smart]](phpBB/gallery/images/upload/5269ca2de42198e41f6dfc318158bc27.jpg "Large Skipper - pupa - Unknown location - Uknown date (2) [Ben Smart]")
![Large Skipper - pupa - Unknown location - Uknown date [Ben Smart]](phpBB/gallery/images/upload/5c3ff36d34ea5815f851b075decd7112.jpg "Large Skipper - pupa - Unknown location - Uknown date [Ben Smart]")
