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Text and photographs protected by Copyright © Adrian Hoskins 2007, and must not be published in part or in whole elsewhere without prior written permission from the author.
Butterflies of Britain & Europe
 
Dingy Skipper
Erynnis tages LINNAEUS, 1758
Family - HESPERIIDAE
subfamily - PYRGINAE
 
 introduction | habitats | lifecycle | adult behaviour
 
Dingy Skipper Erynnis tages, copulating pair, Dorset, England
 
Introduction
 
Despite it's rather unflattering vernacular name, this is a lovely insect, worthy of much greater attention than it generally attracts. Old faded butterflies may indeed be a little dingy, but a freshly emerged Dingy Skipper shows itself to be beautifully marked in subtle shades of brown and grey.
 
The butterfly is quite variable in appearance, populations in woodlands tending to be darker and strongly marked, compared with the pallid specimens which predominate on chalk landslips, quarries and limestone pavements.
 
Dingy Skipper Erynnis tages, female, Ballard Down, Dorset, England
 
It is distributed throughout most of Europe but is absent from northern Scandinavia and most of the Mediterranean islands. There are several other members of the genus found in temperate Asia, North America, and the Andes.
 
There are no similar species in Britain, but in Turkey, Greece and Albania the butterfly shares it's habitats and emergence time with a similar species Erynnis marloyi. The latter is distinguished by being darker and much plainer than tages.
 
Dingy Skipper Erynnis tages, male nectaring at bird's foot trefoil, Ballard Down, Dorset
 
Habitats
 
The Dingy Skipper is localised throughout England and Wales, preferring well drained and heavily grazed dry grassy habitats where the larval foodplant bird's foot trefoil grows in profusion. It favours warm sunny habitats with plenty of bare earth or exposed chalk / limestone. Examples include calcareous grassland, cliffs, coastal landslips, abandoned quarries, railway cuttings, limestone pavements, and woodland clearings.
 
Dingy Skipper Erynnis tages, male, Dorset, England
 
In Scotland and northern England it is primarily a coastal species, breeding on cliff-tops, shingle banks and sand dunes.
 
Dingy Skipper Erynnis tages, female, Butser Hill NNR, Hampshire, England
 
Lifecycle
 
The butterflies are single brooded in Britain, emerging in May, but in southern Europe there is a partial or complete second brood emergence in July.
 

In 2007, a very hot and early spring was followed by the dullest and wettest British summer for 280 years. It might be expected that under such conditions the second brood would be at best partial, or fail to materialise at all. However an almost complete 2nd brood emergence occurred at Ballard Down in Dorset in late July. The explanation is that the caterpillar's are nocturnal feeders, so develop quickly despite the lack of sunshine by day.
 
Dingy Skipper Erynnis tages, 2nd brood male, Ballard Down, Dorset, England
 
The bright orange eggs are laid singly at the base of leaflets of bird's foot trefoil Lotus corniculatus, or less commonly on greater bird's foot trefoil L. uliginosus or horseshoe vetch Hippocrepis comosa. They hatch after about 10 days.
 
During daylight hours the caterpillar lives within a loose tent of leaves, spun together at the base of the foodplant, and emerges to feed more openly in the early evening. When fully grown it is yellowish green, faintly marked with a dark line along the back, and pale lines along the sides. The head is brown, with a dark purplish-black markings.
 
In early August it enters hibernation, over-wintering within a thin silk tent. The larva remains inside this "hibernaculum" until April, when it pupates.
 
Gently pulling apart the silk tent reveals the shiny pupa, which has dark green wing cases and a brown abdomen.
 
Dingy Skipper Erynnis tages, male, Surrey, England
 
Adult behaviour
 

On warm but overcast days in late April and May, the butterflies bask with wings held flat, on bare soil, stones or low herbage.

 

In sunny conditions they are very active, zipping and whirring about, usually no more than a few inches above the ground; stopping occasionally to bask for a moment or two on a grass head, or to nectar at their favourite wild flowers - bird's foot trefoil, common vetch, horseshoe vetch, buttercups, ground ivy, cranesbills, speedwells and bugle.

 

Dingy Skippers generally hold the wings flat when nectaring, but in hot weather they raise them at an angle of about 45 degrees.

 

Dingy Skipper Erynnis tages, male, Ballard Down, Dorset, England

 

 

In April 2007 at Ballard Down, I spent several minutes studying 3 male Dingy Skippers whose territories overlapped. All passing butterflies were intercepted - Clouded Yellows and Peacocks were quickly investigated but not challenged. Small Coppers however were challenged and quickly ousted from the vicinity.

When any of the male Dingy Skippers encountered each other a sortie took place, with both butterflies whirling about in tight circles close to the ground, occasionally making physical contact. After about a minute, the pair would suddenly rocket skyward to a height of about 3 metres, at which point the "intruding" male would be chased off, and the "owner" of the territory would return to continue search of females.

 

Dingy Skipper Erynnis tages, male, Ballard Down, Dorset, England

 

Dingy Skipper Erynnis tages, copulated pair, Noar Hill, Hampshire, England

 

Copulation takes place mid-morning. During copulation both sexes keep their wings spread flat, and it is then easy to spot the differences between them - the male being slightly duller and more unicolorous, and having a pronounced fold on the leading edge of the forewings. This "androconial" fold has special wing-scales that disseminate pheromones, used to lure females during courtship.

 

Dingy Skipper Erynnis tages, male at roost on knapweed
 
As evening approaches, Dingy Skippers migrate to the last remaining sunlit spots in their habitat. There they settle to bask on grass heads, or more often on the dead flower heads of knapweeds or St Johns wort. As the temperature drops, and the last rays of sunshine fade, they adjust their position, wrapping their wings tightly around the flower heads, upon which they roost overnight.

 

During extended periods of inclement weather, Dingy Skippers can remain at roost for long periods - on 14th May 2006 I found a freshly emerged and distinctively marked female roosting on a dead knapweed at Noar Hill, and when I returned on 27th May the butterfly was still at roost on the same flower head, having endured 2 weeks of wet and windy weather. The following day brought the return of fine weather, and upon my arrival at 9am I found the butterfly flying nearby.

 

Dingy Skipper Erynnis tages, male preparing to roost on St Johns wort

 

Dingy Skipper Erynnis tages, female, Noar Hill, Hampshire, England

 

 
                                                       
Almost every British and European species of butterfly is declining rapidly in numbers, due in most cases to loss or degradation of habitats.
 
You can help to reverse the decline by supporting conservation organisations which purchase and manage habitats as nature reserves, and which lobby government at local, national and international levels, often very successfully, to bring about changes in farming, forestry and urban development policies.
 
Please contact the conservation organisations for advice on how you can help protect British and European butterflies and their habitats. You may be able to offer practical help e.g. by monitoring butterfly populations or helping to manage nature reserves. Donations to these organisations enable them to employ ecologists and biologists. Even if you are unable to provide such help, merely having your name on the membership list can be a powerful tool for conservation organisations wishing to demonstrate the levels of support they have for their policies.

 

 
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