Small or Essex?

11 Monday Jul 2022

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British butterflies, butterfly, differences between Small and Essex skippers, Essex skipper, Essex skipper identification, Small skipper, Small skipper identification

I’ve blogged about this before but, as it’s the skipper time of year and there are quite a few newbies following along here, I thought I’d do a repeat post. For anyone who finds the little skippers confusing, I hope this helps you. The first two photos illustrate the differences in the length and angle of the male scent brands on the upper wings of the Small and Essex skippers.

Small skipper on the left, Essex skipper on the right

And the two photos below show the differences in the colour of their antenna tips viewed head on, orange on the Small skipper and black on the Essex.

Small skipper on the left, Essex skipper on the right

225/366 Battered & bird-pecked

12 Wednesday Aug 2020

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

battered butterflies, bird-pecked butterflies, British butterflies, Brown argus, Comma, Essex skipper, Gatekeeper, Painted Lady, Peacock, Ringlet, Small copper

Though second-brood butterflies are still looking pristine, many of the others are now well past their best, as life is tough for such fragile creatures. Some butterflies are so battered that I’m amazed they’re able to fly at all, yet this Gatekeeper and Ringlet were still moving from plant to plant.

Birds looking for an easy snack often attack butterflies and it’s easy to see the tell-tale signs of bird pecks on butterflies’ wings, like those on these: a Ringlet, Comma, Small copper and Peacock, and another Gatekeeper.

200812 birdpecked ringlet

200812 birdpecked gatekeeper

Is it the blazing sun that has caused this Essex skipper’s orange to fade so dramatically or has it lost most of its wing scales?

200812 faded essex skipper

I’m 99% sure this is the same Brown argus, seen first on 1 August and again on 10 August. It already had some bird pecks when I first saw it but, nine days later, it was looking rather faded and more than a little ragged around the edges.

This Painted lady is looking battered, bird-pecked, faded and jaded, perhaps the affects of a long migration journey, or simply a tough life well survived.

200812 jaded painted lady

178/366 Essex skippers

26 Friday Jun 2020

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

British butterflies, butterfly, Essex skipper, Grangemoor Park, Skippers

I’ve been melting in this week’s heatwave but it’s been a wonderful week for butterflies: on Monday, a long-lost Small heath, on Wednesday my first Painted Lady of the year, and yesterday two Essex skippers.

200626 essex skipper (1)

I went early to Grangemoor Park to avoid the worst of the heat but it was already roasting, and the skippers, Large and Small, were scooting around the grasses and wildflowers so rapidly that I couldn’t get many photos. Then, along one path, two skippers flew up, one disappeared but the other found a perch and stayed there, most patiently, while I quietly edged my way around in front of it to check what I suspected from the rear view. And, bingo, black-tipped antennae – an Essex skipper.

200626 essex skipper (2)

A second path, an almost perfect repeat performance, a second Essex skipper. I do find these gorgeous little skippers will remain on a perch when they find one to their liking, which is extremely convenient for getting photos to confirm their identities.

215/365 Four go butterflying in Dorset

03 Saturday Aug 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, insects, nature, wildflowers

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

Alners Gorse, British butterflies, butterfly, butterflying, Comma, Essex skipper, Purple hairstgreak, Red Admiral, Small copper

Off we went again, our gallant gang of four, this time in search of the rare Brown hairstreak at Butterfly Conservation’s Alners Gorse reserve in Dorset.

190803 alners gorse

This reserve is beautiful, the colourful swathes of wildflowers reminiscent of a painting by Monet or Van Gogh, the wide range of trees providing diverse habitats for local wildlife and welcome shade for butterfliers on yet another hot summer’s day.

190803 comma

Unfortunately, the Brown hairstreaks eluded us, and most of the other 20-odd people wandering around the reserve, staring intently, as we were, at bramble bushes, hedgerows and oak trees.

190803 essex skipper

One person, on turning a corner in the path, had almost bumped into a Brown, but the butterfly immediately flew off and wasn’t seen again. A couple said they’d seen one high in a tree but much tree staring failed to produce another sighting.

190803 purple hairstreak

Still, there were butterflies in abundance and my list for the day totalled a very respectable seventeen: Silver-washed fritillary, Purple hairstreak, Comma, Peacock, Red admiral, Painted lady, Essex skipper, Small skipper, Small white, Green-veined white, Common blue, Small copper, Brimstone, Meadow brown, Ringlet, Gatekeeper and Speckled wood. My companions also saw Marbled white, bringing the group total to eighteen – I was obviously staring at a tree at that time!

190803 red admiral

Alners Gorse is a well known site for Marsh fritillaries – now finished for this year, and we saw large numbers of other insects – hoverflies, bees, flies, crickets and grasshoppers, and several species of dragonfly, so it’s well worth a visit at any time of the year.

190803 small copper

206/365 An Essex update

25 Thursday Jul 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, insects, nature

≈ 6 Comments

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#365DaysWild, British butterflies, butterfly, Essex and Small skipper differences, Essex skipper, Skippers

Before this year, I had only seen an Essex skipper once, and that was only a possibility, not a certainty, based on a photo I took in July 2017 of what I thought at the time was a Small skipper. This year I’ve found them at three different sites, reinforcing my thinking that, for me personally, there’s really no substitute for taking the time to observe something closely.

190725 Essex skipper Grangemoor (2)

There are physical differences that differentiate the Essex from the Small skipper – the black tips of its antennae and, in the male, the size and angle of the sex brand on its upper wings (see images below). But I’ve found that they seem to act differently too. Their flight pattern seems more relaxed, less frantic than the Small skippers, and they also seem more inclined to perch and be looked at – or maybe I’ve just been lucky!

190725 small and essex skippers antennae

190725 small and essex skippers male sex brands

Small skippers on the left, Essex skippers on the right

Close observation and taking lots of photos of their antennae for verification has meant I’ve now found Essex skippers at Cardiff’s Hailey and Grangemoor Parks, and also at Cosmeston. But will I remember what to look for when they begin to appear next year? Only time will tell.

190725 Essex skipper Grangemoor (1)

192/365 Essex skippers

11 Thursday Jul 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, insects, nature

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

#365DaysWild, British butterflies, butterflies, butterfly, Essex skipper, skipper identification

Tuesday was the first time I have knowingly seen and photographed Essex skippers. I visited a location where there’s been a colony in previous years so my chances were high but I knew they were tricksy little butterflies to identify – the only photo I have of one was taken two years ago in a different place and I didn’t realise what it was till I checked it more carefully a year later.

190711 essex skipper (1)

You see, the Essex looks superficially very similar to the Small skipper. They’re the same size, the same general colour and can be found in the same habitats. The defining feature for a novice like me is the tips of the butterfly’s antennae – in the Essex skipper these are black, both on top and below. And therein lies the difficulty! Because you just try seeing the colour on the underside of the antennae of very small butterflies that spend most of their time skilfully weaving their way in and around tall grasses in a meadow full of similar butterflies. It ain’t easy!

190711 essex skipper (2)

Still, it was a pleasant day, the meadow was full of lovely wildflowers, and I was surrounded by butterflies of several types and sizes – what could be nicer? It was really just a matter of time and patience, and eventually I had two definite sightings. One very cute little Essex even decided to pose for me, repeatedly settling on grass stems so I could get the front-on photos that I needed to be sure of its identity.

190711 essex skipper (3)