Regional Species


Large Skipper
Ochlodes venata

Photograph by Janet Graham

Regional Species

This species is generally distributed throughout the region although it is seldom seen in large numbers and doesn’t achieve a population density as high as the Small Skipper. Areas of damp, rank grass, including marshes and bogs, provide suitable habitat.

The flight season overlaps with that of the Small Skipper but peaks in about the first week of July as opposed to the end of July for the Small Skipper. The butterflies spend much of their lives settled amongst tall vegetation but become conspicuous when the highly territorial males rise up to interact with other butterflies, both of their own species and others which share the same habitat, such as the Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary. Various grasses may be selected for egg laying but Cock’s-foot (Dactylis glomerata) appears to be the normal choice. The larvae live within a protective tube of their own construction and overwinter in situ. Feeding then resumes in the spring followed by a pupation period of about three weeks.

Distinguished from the Small Skipper by its brighter orange colouration and by the chequered pattern on the wings. The habitat and time of year can both act as pointers to the correct identification but care is essential since the two skippers often occur together.