Small Skipper

Thymelicus sylvestris (Poda, 1761)

Status

Description

A small yellowish-brown,  butterfly, with a short antenna. The underside is plain without any markings. It can easily be confused with T. acteon. The males have a black androconial streak on the upperside forewing, which is long and curved but long and slender in T. acteon. The females are similar but without the black androconial streak.

Habitat Requirements

Forests, grasslands, agriculture and urban habitats which are rich in flowers.

Larval Foodplants

False Brome Brachypodium sylvaticum, Yorkshire-fog Holcus lanatus.

Observations

A fast flying butterfly, which is sometimes territorial. It often takes nectar from Thistles, Vetches and Scabious - all of which are purple flowers.

*The information provided in the tables below is based on verified sightings of the Small Skipper submitted via this website since 1st January 2021.

First and Last Sightings

Year First Last/latest # Days
2023 05/05/2023 22/05/2023 17 days
2022 07/05/2022 05/10/2022 151 days
2021 14/05/2021 10/10/2021 149 days

Number of Observations

Year Number of observations
2023 12
2022 94
2021 202
Grand Total 308

Distribution Map

Distribution maps for this species are currently unavailable.

Flight Times for the Small Skipper (2023)

The chart below shows flight data by month for 2023 submitted online since 1st January 2023 to 28th May 2023.

Flight Times for the Small Skipper (All Data)

The chart below shows flight data by month based on all data submitted online since 1st January 2019 to 28th May 2023.

Taxonomy

  • Vernacular/Common Name: Small Skipper
  • Family: Hesperiidae (Latreille, 1809)
  • Sub-family: Hesperiinae (Latreille, 1809 )
  • Tribe: Thymelicini (Tutt 1905)
  • Genus: Thymelicus (Hübner, 1819)
  • Species: sylvestris (Poda, 1761)

References

For a list of references, please see our bibliography page.