(Esper, 1783)
Marbled Skipper
Description:
The green sheen on the upperside of the wings and body of the Marbled Skipper distinguish it from other skippers in this genus. It lives in warm, flower-rich places.
Populations are usually small, and it is exceptional to see a large number of these butterflies gathered together. On very hot days, needing to drink, they look for damp ground.
The eggs are laid singly on the sepals of various woundworts (Stachys spp.), especially Perennial Yellow Woundwort (S. recta). The young caterpillars spin a loose shelter from leaves, under which they hide themselves while they feed, first eating the seeds and, later, the leaves of the plant.
They hibernate in the third or fourth instar and pupate at the foot of the food plant.
The Marbled Skipper is single-brooded.
Habitat:
Dry siliceous grasslands
Dry calcareous grasslands
Deciduous forests
Similar species:
Carcharodus stauderi