Quick Facts

Scientific name:  Thymelicus sylvestris

Size:  Wingspan approx 30mm

Distribution:  Found throughout England and Wales

Months seen:  June to September

Habitat:  Meadows, roadside verges and gardens

Food:  Nectar.  The caterpillars feed on various grasses

Special features:  The small skipper is a uniform orange-brown all over, but the males have a dark stripe running across their forewings.  The club shaped ends of the antennae are black on top, and orange-yellow underneath.

Like the large skipper, the small skipper rests with its forewings and hindwings held apart at different angles, looking more like a moth than a butterfly.

The female lays her cream coloured eggs, in a row, inside a curled up grass stem.  When the caterpillar emerges (around August) it eats its eggshell, and then spins a cocoon, while still inside the grass stem.

It remains inside the grass stem for a further eight months.  The following spring, it will re-emerge to feed on the fresh grass.  By June or July, it will be a fully grown caterpillar, and will pupate at the base of a grass stem.  After about two weeks the adult butterfly will emerge.

Related Pages

• UK Safari Butterflies Section
• Identify other wildlife
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