On the Wildside: Skipper butterflies in the summertime meadows

Most of these are coloured with a mix of orange and brown, though some less common ones like the grizzled skipper, the dingy skipper, and the checkered skipper have largely mottled wing-patterns. The more common species are the large skipper (pictured), the small skipper, and similar to this, a recent arrival to our region, the Essex skipper.

The large skipper has spread northwards in recent decades and can be seen feeding alongside both small and Essex skippers in suitable places. They favour grassy areas such as meadows with foodplant growing in fairly sheltered, often damp, locations and where herbs and grasses are quite tall and uncut. Such habitats include woodland rides and clearings, meadows and pastures, roadside verges, hedgerows, and also wet heathland or moorland fringe sites. Like the other skippers, these are also butterflies of urban habitats like parks, churchyards, and other places such as ‘waste ground’ with long grasses. In these places, with tall herb and grass habitats the choice caterpillar foodplant, cock’s-foot grass, is particularly favoured.

Both males and females like to settle and perch on exposed, sunny plants where they might rest on a large leaf dappled with sunlight. They feed on flowers with bramble being a favourite, but they also like thistles and knapweeds with abundant flowers too. Dark markings on the wings as well as a size difference separates the large skipper from small or Essex, both of which have unmarked orange wings. These are some of the many species of our local butterflies which can easily benefit from a little more untidiness and roughness in our public parks and other open spaces. In south Sheffield’s Graves Park for example, we are leaving tall, grassy areas around the edges of the ancient woods and which provide habitat for the caterpillars, and good bramble scrubby areas too. By improving these habitats, then it means more garden visitors as well.

Professor Ian D. Rotherham, researcher, writer & broadcaster on wildlife & environmental issues, is contactable on [email protected]; follow Ian’s blog (https://ianswalkonthewildside.wordpress.com/) and Twitter @IanThewildside