Kingdom Animalia Order Lepidoptera Genus Pyrgus Higher classification Grizzled skippers | Phylum Arthropoda Family Hesperiidae Scientific name Pyrgus malvae Rank Species | |
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Similar Dingy skipper, Butterfly, Skipper, Butterflies and moths, Small skipper | ||
Grizzled skipper
The grizzled skipper (Pyrgus malvae) is a butterfly of the Hesperiidae family.
Contents
Grizzled skipper pyrgus malvae taras cornwall 2015
Appearance, behaviour and distribution
With its characteristic chequered black-and-white pattern this butterfly is quite distinctive although old, faded individuals can be mistaken for the dingy skipper or the burnet companion moth.
It is distributed throughout the Palearctic region except the far north and the Iberian Peninsula, and eastwards as far as China and Korea.
Its main habitat in Britain is chalk downland but others used include scrubby grasslands, woodland clearings and disused artificial habitat. The butterfly occurs throughout southern and central England, and Wales, but has declined in several areas, especially in the non-chalk habitat.
Life cycle and food plants
The females lay eggs singly on species of the Rosaceae, usually agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria), creeping cinquefoil (Potentilla reptans) and wild strawberry (Fragaria vesca).
Other plants used occasionally are barren strawberry (Potentilla sterilis), tormentil (Potentilla erecta), salad burnet (Sanguisorba minor), bramble (Rubus fruticosus), dog-rose (Rosa canina) and wood avens (Geum urbanum).
On hatching the caterpillars build shelters for use when they are not feeding. The larvae spin pupal cocoons and overwinter before emerging the following spring. The adult butterfly flies from the end of April until the middle of June.
