Identification guide ~ The 'Skipper' family
(Hesperiidae)

Links to species on this page . . .

	Introduction
	Large, Small & Essex Skippers
	Dingy Skipper
	Grizzled Skipper
	Silver-spotted Skipper
	Return to Identification guide index page

Introduction

Of the eight members of the 'Skipper' family found in Britain - Small, Essex, Large, Lulworth, Silver-spotted, Chequered, Dingy and Grizzled Skipper - only five species are known to occur in our area.

Middlesex and Hertfordshire both have Small Skipper, Essex Skipper and Large Skipper, whereas our only known colonies of Dingy and Grizzled Skipper are limited to Hertfordshire.

This page starts with the three most common - Small, Essex and Large. Although the Large Skipper isn't too hard to identify, the Small and Essex Skippers are so similar, even the most experienced of recorders will tell you it is extremely hard to tell them apart! Guide books and photos will quite happily explain the differences but when confronted with a cloud of skippers on a hot summer day, actually telling them apart is a different matter.

Identification

The photographs used have been compiled from photographs made available to the Branch. Unfortunately, not all show the subtle differences as clearly as we would wish and hopefully as the year progresses new photographs can be substituted.

The late Charles Smith's experiences in recording these two species should be of help to all recorders. He has based his computerised drawings on standard references books and his own personal experience of recording skippers. However, he does point out that some of the 'differences' may be only local. Additional information has been taken from Herts & Middx Branch Newsletter - Issue 11 Sept '97 Small & Essex Skippers by John Murray. Records are always welcome even if you are unable to tell them apart - simply refer to them as Small/Essex Skipper!

1. The most reliable method of identifying Small and Essex is to look below the antennal tips. This area will be jet black on Essex Skipper, and orange or brown on Small Skipper. However, care is needed because a few will show very dark brown undertips, whilst others have confusing amounts of black on top of their antennae.

2. The small black streak on the upperside of the forewings of males known as the scent line is much bolder in the Small Skipper and lies at a slight angle to the front edge of the wing. The Essex Skipper has a finer line, which is parallel to the front edge of the forewing - unfortunately this only applies to males.

3. Generally Essex Skippers are supposed to be a little smaller, but since there is an overlap in size this is not a good way to tell them apart.

4. The wings of Essex Skipper appear squarer to some people, with more pointed fore wings.

5. The Essex Skipper has lighter, greener undersides to its hind wings.

6. In mixed groups the Essex Skipper appears to be a brighter colour on top, but Charles comments that this may be due to this species emerging later and being fresher when compared

7. In the Small Skipper, the triangular tip to the underside of the forewing is a contrasting pale olive buff colour, whereas the rest of the underwing is orange. In the Essex Skipper the distinct olive buff tip of the forewing is more or less absent with the whole underside of the wing being a rather uniform orange. However, Charles points out that some Essex Skippers also have a smaller area of dull brown along the edge of the wing!

Click on images to enlarge

Large Skipper	Small Skipper	Essex Skipper
Large Skipper is a larger butterfly and more heavily marked © photo: Andrew Middleton	Small Skipper male scent mark is generally thicker than Essex. The antennae tips appear more orange when image enlarged © photo: Sandra Standbridge	Essex Skipper is a slightly brighter colour The antennae tips appears darker when image enlarged © photo: Lee Browne
		The underside of the Small Skipper antennae is clearly visible in this image (left) © photo: Trevor Chapman
Large Skipper's markings show through its underwing © photo: Sandra Standbridge	Small Skipper shows clearly the triangular tip of the forewing is a pale olive buff colour © photo: Andrew Middleton	Essex Skipper forewings are more square and have lighter, greener undersides to hind wing © photo: Lee Browne
Charles Smith's exaggerated computer images help show the differences All images © Charles Smith	Small Skipper thicker scent line, lighter colour, hindwing less green, less pointed forewing, the tip of the antennae is black below	Essex Skipper thinner scent line, darker colour, hindwing greener, squarer forewing, no olive buff tip to forewing, underside of antennae tips are jet black

Large Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanus)

The Large Skipper is not dissimilar to the Essex and Small Skipper, but can be easily identified - there is rarely any confusion between the species, when the butterfly is not flying. The Large Skipper usually appears ahead of Small and Essex although their flight periods then overlap, and as the name suggests, it is visibly larger. It is a bright orange brown in colour and the wings have a lovely pattern of paler marks. The Large Skipper can behave in a slightly different way to the Small and Essex, in that it is more often found basking in the sun, taking a prominent position on a bramble perhaps, and is prepared to stay still for longer! The Large Skipper tends to stay closer to the edge of fields or along a hedgeline, whereas the Small and Essex Skippers will just as often be found out in the middle of a grassy field.

Large Skipper Fact File

Flight Period	End of May to August
Wingspan	35mm
Status in Hertfordshire	Widespread but usually in lower numbers than Small or Essex Skippers
Status in Middlesex	Well distributed but usually in lower numbers than Small or Essex Skippers
Generations per year	One
Larval food plant	Broad-leaved grasses such as cocksfoot and the larger fescues
Favourite Nectar plants	Many wild flowers, but especially scabious, bramble and knapweed
Favourite locations	A search of brambles and other low vegetation along your local field edges and sheltered hedgerows, adjacent to rough grassy places, should eventually result in a sighting

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