(Hübner, 1823)
Orbed Red-underwing Skipper
Description:
The Orbed Red-underwing Skipper occurs on dry, flower-rich grasslands, on roadside verges, at the edges of woods, on abandoned agricultural land, rocky slopes, and along dried-up river beds. The butterflies have a rapid flight, close to the ground.
The eggs are laid on the flowerheads of Salad Burnet (Sanguisorba minor), and, in Eastern Europe, possibly also on Great Burnet (S. officinalis).
The round flowerheads of the food plant are the caterpillars' first food, but as they grow larger, they hide themselves between spun leaves. Hibernation takes place on the ground, in the litter layer. They also pupate in rolled-up leaves of the food plant.
This skipper is double-brooded and hibernates as a caterpillar.
Habitat:
Dry siliceous grasslands
Dry calcareous grasslands
Mesophile grasslands
Alluvial and very wet forest
Similar species:
Spialia phlomidis
Spialia sertorius
Spialia therapne
Pyrgus malvae