SMALL SKIPPER
This very small skipper is even smaller than the pygmy skipper. It has a wingspan of 21 to 28mm and is golden coloured. The rusty, orange, golden colouring is on the upper wings, upper body, and the tips of the antennae. The body is silvery white below. The under wings are a pale orange with grey scales. To distinguish the sexes, the female upper fore wings have a clearly defined dark border. The male has a long and curved dark line on the forewing, known as the sex brand.
The small skipper is a grassland butterfly and can be seen at up to 2300m, from May through to September. Eggs are laid from July to August in the sheaths of their favourite grasses. These are Yorkshire fog or Timothy grass usually. The newly hatched caterpillars eat their egg casing and then hibernate in the grasses sealed with silk. In the Spring, the caterpillars start feeding and pupate in May, with the first adults flying at the end of May. These butterflies love purple flowers.
