(Linnaeus, 1758)
Grizzled Skipper
Description:
The Grizzled Skipper occurs in many different habitats, mostly on dry, as well as moist, flower-rich grasslands, and also on calcareous grasslands and heaths. The butterflies are fond of basking in the sun, their wings widespread, on bare patches of ground.
The eggs are laid one by one on the underside of the leaves of cinquefoils (Potentilla spp.) and strawberries (Fragaria spp.), including Wild Strawberry (F. vesca). The caterpillar builds a small shelter from a leaf, in which it stays hidden, feeding on the leaves of the food plant. The sturdy cocoon in which it pupates is spun from plant remains. This species has one or two broods, depending on the location and altitude of the breeding ground.
The taras form, with large, white patches on the upperside of the wings, is found more in the Grizzled Skipper than in other skippers, especially in males.
Habitat:
Dry calcareous grasslands
Mesophile grasslands
Humid grasslands
Similar species:
Pyrgus malvoides
Pyrgus alveus
Pyrgus armoricanus