Essex Skipper

• Latin name: Thymelicus lineola
• Family group: Skippers
• Countries: England
• Size: Small

Resident

Range expanding.

Essex Skipper butterflies closely resemble and are often found in company with Small Skippers. Because of the similarities, the Essex Skipper has been overlooked both in terms of recording and ecological study, and it was the last British resident species to be described (in 1889).

The simplest means of distinguishing between the two species in the field is by examining the undersides of the tips of their club-shaped antennae; they are black in the Essex Skipper and orange or brown in the Small Skipper. However misidentifications still occur.

The distribution of the Essex Skipper in Britain has more than doubled in the last few decades.

Conservation status

• UK BAP status: not listed
• Butterfly Conservation priority: low
• European threat status: not threatened

European/world range

Much of Europe, including southern Scandinavia, eastwards across much of Asia and North Africa. Distribution expanding at the northern edge of its range in Europe. Introduced to North America in 1910, since when it has spread widely and become a pest of hay crops.

Foodplants

The main species used is Cock's-foot (Dactylis glomerata), although the butterfly may use several other grasses including Creeping Soft-grass (Holcus mollis), Common Couch (Elytrigia repens), Timothy (Phleum pratense), Meadow Foxtail (Alopecurus pratensis), False Brome (Brachypodium sylvaticum), and Tor-grass (B. pinnatum). It rarely uses Yorkshire-fog (B. pinnatum), the preferred foodplant of the Small Skipper.

Habitat

The Essex Skipper is found in tall, dry grasslands in open sunny situations, especially roadside verges, woodland rides, and acid grasslands, as well as coastal marshes.