The Skipper

An 'Exmoor Ponies in Conservation' project

Other butterflies seen on Myers Allotment

Skipper common name for a large and diverse family of moth-like butterflies. There are over 3,000 species worldwide, with the greatest diversity in tropical regions of Central and South America. Named for their fast, erratic, “skipping” flight, skippers have stouter, hairier bodies and smaller wings than most other butterflies. They have distinctly triangular wings, with wingspans of 1.5 to 6.5 cm; their small size and rapid flight can make them difficult to identify on the wing. Skippers begin life as tiny eggs less than 0.01 cm wide, much smaller than most butterfly or moth eggs.

Skipper With its broad body and small wings,
the skipper resembles a moth but is actually a butterfly.
Skippers are found in many habitats
and are known for their erratic, "skipping" flight. Several individual and major groups of skippers can usually be identified by the position of their wings while basking in the Sun. The large skipper, found throughout Europe except Scandinavia and Scotland, holds its wings partially open while basking, with the front wings and hind wings held open at different angles, a posture rarely seen in other butterflies. The large skipper is usually dark brown with rusty orange spots on the upper side and yellowish in colour underneath. It feeds on grasses as a caterpillar.

Scientific classification: Skippers are classified in the family Hesperiidae in the insect order Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths).