Wing span: 23–29 mm.
The Grizzled Skipper resembles a small moth, with a distinctive black-and-white chequered pattern from which it gets its name. In the UK, it is found mainly in southern England and has been declining, likely due to habitat loss. It prefers warm, sheltered sites with sparse vegetation, including chalk downland, woodland edges and clearings, large rides, unimproved grassland, hillsides, valleys, and occasionally heathland.
Life Cycle
Adults fly from mid-April to late June, with a small second brood in favourable years. The species overwinters as a pupa.
Larval Foodplants
Primary foodplants include Agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria), Creeping Cinquefoil (Potentilla reptans), and Wild Strawberry (Fragaria vesca).
Nectar Sources
Adults feed on spring flowers, especially Bugle.
Subfamily: Pyrginae
Identification:
The wings have chequered fringes. The upperside is grey-black with square white markings, while the hindwing underside is grey-brown to black with whitish spots and white veins. Males have a costal fold on the forewing that encloses scent scales.
Wing Span: 1–1 5/16 inches (2.5–3.3 cm)
Life History
Males patrol open areas throughout the day, searching for females and occasionally perching. Females lay single eggs on host-plant leaves. Caterpillars feed inside small shelters made from webbed leaves.
Flight: One brood from March to May in the south; in subarctic regions, development can take two years.
Caterpillar Hosts:
Wild Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana), Canadian Cinquefoil (Potentilla canadensis), Varileaf Cinquefoil (P. diversifolia), and Cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus), all in the rose family (Rosaceae).
Adult Food:
Nectar from low-growing plants such as blueberry, wild strawberry, and Canadian cinquefoil.
Habitat:
Open areas near woodland—valley bottoms, barrens, meadows, grassy slopes, tundra, and scrub oak openings.
Range:
Holarctic. In North America, it occurs from Alaska across to central Ontario and northern Michigan, with isolated populations in Labrador, arctic Quebec, the central Appalachians, and the Rockies from central Alberta to northern New Mexico.
Conservation:
Populations on eastern shale barrens (subspecies wyandot) should be monitored and protected.
NCGR: G5 – Globally secure, though locally rare in some peripheral areas.
Management Needs:
Assess and address conservation needs for subspecies wyandot.
The Grizzled Skipper is the smallest and earliest-flying skipper in the UK. It has a quick, darting flight and is easiest to spot in early morning as it basks on bare ground. It depends on short, mixed vegetation, typically created by grazing on chalk grassland or by woodland management. Caterpillars feed on plants such as wild strawberry, bramble, agrimony, salad burnet, and creeping cinquefoil.
How to Identify
This species has dark brown wings covered with a crisp, white chequerboard pattern and white fringes crossed by dark lines. It may be confused with the Dingy Skipper, which is larger and has duller wings.
Distribution
Found across southern England, reaching north into the Midlands, and present in both North and South Wales.
Did You Know?
Although it favours unimproved chalk grassland and woodland rides, the Grizzled Skipper has recently colonised old industrial sites—including mineral workings, spoil heaps, railway lines, and even rubbish tips.
