- Lifespan
- Approximately 2–3 weeks as an adult butterfly in the wild
- Size & Weight
- Wingspan 26–32 mm; wingspan 1–1.3 inches
- Habitat
- Warm, sheltered grassland and scrubland with abundant bird's-foot trefoil, typically on south-facing slopes and chalk downland.
- UK Distribution
- Found mainly in southern England, particularly on chalk and limestone grasslands from Dorset to Kent; resident and sedentary, with populations largely confined to traditional localities.
- Diet
- Adults feed on nectar from various wildflowers, particularly bird's-foot trefoil, clover, and other low-growing plants.
- Predators
- Small birds, spiders, and parasitic wasps; caterpillars are vulnerable to parasitoid wasps.
- Mating Season
- May to July
- Breeding
- Single generation per year. Eggs laid singly on bird's-foot trefoil leaves; caterpillars develop in summer and pupate in a silken cocoon in leaf litter; overwinters as pupa.
- Behaviour
- Dingy Skippers are swift, low fliers with a characteristic jerky flight pattern. Males perch and patrol for females on warm days. They rest with wings held tent-like over their body and are most active in sunshine.