Friday, 3 September, 2010 homebutterfliesmothseventspressrecordingprojectsreservemembershipmagazinedownloadaboutcontactlinks Butterflies of Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull Small Skipper Thymelicus sylvestris The Small Skipper and Essex Skipper are almost identical in appearance which often makes identification in the field extremely difficult as they are often found living in the same habitats and on the wing at similar times. One key difference between the Small Skipper and Essex Skipper is that the Small Skipper has dull brown/orange tips while the Essex Skipper has a distinctive glossy black tips to its antennae. Small Skippers are also slightly more orange in appearance. The adult butterflies spend much of their time basking or resting on grass stems in typical 'golden skipper' style. Larval Food plants Yorkshire-fog (Holcus lanatus) Cock's-foot (Dactylis glomerata) False Broom (Brachypodium) Habitat Requirements Colonies of the Small Skipper can be found where grasses are allowed to grow tall and lush. Habitats include disused railway lines, unimproved rough grassland and verges. Colonies can occur on very small patches of suitable habitat such as a roadside and railway verges. Warwickshire Status Resident Where to see the Small Skipper Other Species Please select an alternative species from the list below. Bath White Black Hairstreak Black-veined White Brimstone Brown Argus Brown Hairstreak Camberwell Beauty Chalkhill Blue Chequered Skipper Clouded Yellow Comma Common Blue Dappled White Dark Green Fritillary Dingy Skipper Duke of Burgundy Essex Skipper Gatekeeper Geranium Bronze Green Hairstreak Green-veined White Grizzled Skipper High Brown Fritillary Holly Blue Large Skipper Large Tortoiseshell Large White Long-tailed Blue Map Marbled White Marsh Fritillary Mazarine Blue Meadow Brown Orange-tip Painted Lady Pale Clouded Yellow Peacock Pearl-bordered Fritillary Purple Emperor Purple Hairstreak Red Admiral Ringlet Silver-studded Blue Silver-washed Fritillary Small Blue Small Copper Small Heath Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary Small Skipper Small Tortoiseshell Small White Speckled Wood Swallowtail Wall Brown White Admiral White-letter Hairstreak Wood White © Steven Cheshire First Sightings First sighting dates are based on records of Small Skipper submitted online. Please note that these dates are not updated retrospectively to include records submitted to the branch recorder in other forms. 24/06/2010 - Ufton Fields 15/06/2009 - Lea Marston Lake Old Quarry Site 15/06/2008 - Focus Optics Corley 19/06/2007 - Focus Optics Corley © Steven Cheshire   © Paul Nicholas - Male at Ashlawn Cutting, Rugby, Warwickshire Adult Flight Times The flight chart below is based on observations of the adult Small Skipper in Warwickshire between 2005 and 2008. Peak periods are shown in dark green. Warwickshire Distribution Maps base on Vice County (CV38) which includes Coventry and Solihull Distribution of the Small Skipper during the indicated period. Key to Warwickshire Maps: sightings 12-910+       2007 Distribution Data (1yr)   2008 available soon   2009 Distribution Data (1yr)   2000-09 Distribution Data (10yr) © Butterfly Conservation WarwickshirePrivacy and Copyright Statement Butterfly Conservation is a non-profit-making company limited by guarantee, registered in England (2206468) Registered Office: Manor Yard, East Lulworth, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 5QP Charity registered in England & Wales (254937) and in Scotland (SCO39268)   Web site designed and maintained by Steven Cheshire