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Essex Skipper

Thymelicus lineola

Not yet photographed by the community

Almost identical to Small Skipper but with black-tipped antennae.

Species Profile

Green List (stable and secure in the UK)

Lifespan: 2–3 weeks as an adult butterfly; larvae overwinter and develop over several months
Size & Weight: Wingspan 26–30 mm
Habitat: Open, sunny grassland, woodland edges, verges, and rough ground where its larval food plant occurs.
UK Distribution: Widespread across southern England and increasingly northward; resident, with populations that have expanded northwards over recent decades, now found as far north as the Midlands and beyond.
Diet: Adults feed on nectar from wildflowers; larvae feed exclusively on Yorkshire fog grass (Holcus lanatus).
Predators: Small birds, spiders, and parasitoid wasps; vulnerable to ground-dwelling predators as pupae.
Mating Season: July to September
Breeding: Single brood per year; females lay eggs on Yorkshire fog grass in late summer; larvae overwinter in a diapause stage and pupate in spring, with adults emerging in mid-summer.
Behaviour: Males are highly territorial, basking with wings closed and making rapid patrol flights along grassland margins. They are enthusiastic fliers but remain low and close to the ground. Adults have a distinctive jerky, erratic flight pattern.

Did You Know?

•The Essex Skipper was first recorded in Britain in 1889 near Colchester, Essex, and is believed to have arrived from continental Europe.
•Unlike the similar Small Skipper, the Essex Skipper has black underside antennae tips, while the Small Skipper's are orange.
•Its rapid northward range expansion in recent decades is thought to be linked to climate warming.
•Larvae are nocturnal feeders and construct shelter by rolling leaves on their grass food plant.
•The species is now more common and widespread in the UK than it was 30 years ago, making it one of our expanding butterfly species.

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