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Butterfly taxonomy (classification) The skippers The swallowtails The whites The hairstreaks, coppers and blues. Includes the Duke of Burgundy. The nymphalids, fritillaries and browns. Includes the Monarch.
Small Skipper - imago - Pamber Forest - 05-Jul-04Wingspan
27 - 34mm
Small Skipper

Thymelicus sylvestris
Pronunciation thy-ME-lee-kuss
sill-VESS-triss
Poda, 1761
Ref: 1526
Superfamily: Hesperioidea
Family: Hesperiidae
Subfamily: Hesperiinae
Genus: Thymelicus
Subgenus:  
Species: sylvestris
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Small Skipper - imago - Pamber Forest - 05-Jul-04
Male
Small Skipper Male - Crawley, Sussex 28-June-05
Male Underside
Small Skipper - imago - Noar Hill - 25-Jul-04.jpg (1)
Female
Small Skipper - imago - Thatcham - 27-Jul-09 (1)
Female Underside

Introduction  

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.

Distribution  

This butterfly is widespread in southern Britain, living in discrete colonies of both small and large populations.

Annual Cycle  

The adults are on the wing in late June, through July, and into August.


Habitat  

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.

Larval Foodplants  

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.

Nectar Sources  

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.).

Imago  

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.


Small Skipper - Bentley Wood - 5-6-2009
Photo © Gwenhwyfar
05-Jul-2009
Small Skipper Female - Crawley, Sussex 8-July-05
Photo © Vince Massimo
08-Jul-2005
Small Skipper Male - Crawley, Sussex 28-June-05
Photo © Vince Massimo
28-Jun-2005
Small Skipper Male - Crawley, Sussex 28-June-05
Photo © Vince Massimo
28-Jun-2005
Small Skipper Male (showing typical brown undersides to the antennae tips) - Crawley, Sussex 6-July-05
Photo © Vince Massimo
06-Jul-2005
Small Skipper - imago - Bentley Wood - 01-Jul-04
Photo © Pete Eeles
01-Jul-2004
Small Skipper - imago - Noar Hill - 25-Jul-04.jpg (1)
Photo © Pete Eeles
25-Jul-2004
Small Skipper - imago - Pamber Forest - 05-Jul-04
Photo © Pete Eeles
05-Jul-2004
Small Skipper - imago - Pamber Forest - 27-Jun-04 (2)
Photo © Pete Eeles
27-Jun-2004
Small Skipper - imago - Stockbridge Down - 27-Jun-04
Photo © Pete Eeles
28-Jun-2004
Small Skipper - imago - Thatcham - 27-Jul-09 (1)
Photo © Pete Eeles
27-Jul-2009
Small skipper Chobham Heath 27 06 2009
Small skipper at Chobham Heath June 2009 Sezar Hikmet
Photo © sahikmet
Small skipper Chobham Heath 27 06 2009
Small skipper at Chobham Heath June 2009 Sezar Hikmet
Photo © sahikmet
Small skipper Chobham Heath 27 06 2009
Small skipper Chobham Heath 27 06 2009 Sezar Hikmet
Photo © sahikmet

Aberrations  

Description to be completed


White Skipper at Edrington 2nd July
Thymelicus sylvestris ab. pallida. Berwickshire. Scottish Borders. July 02/ 2010. IAC.
Photo © IAC
02-Jul-2010

Ovum  

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.

Larva  

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.

Pupa  

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.

Similar Species  

Essex Skipper

Description to be completed

Large Skipper

Description to be completed

Lulworth Skipper

Description to be completed

Videos  

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Sites  

Click here to see the distribution of this species overlaid with specific site information. Alternatively, select one of the sites listed below.

RatingSites
Arnside Knott, Bedfont Lakes Country Park LNR
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

Conservation Status  

The status of the Small Skipper is considered stable and this delightful little skipper has even expanded its distribution slightly in recent years.

UK BAP StatusDistribution TrendPopulation Trend
Not ListedStableInsufficient Data

From The State of Butterflies in Britain and Ireland and the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UK BAP) (2007 review).


Links  

The following links provide additional information on this butterfly.

References  

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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