Dingy Skipper
There is a Dingy Skipper colony near to where I live that I think might be the highest elevation colony in Britain. It is in South Yorkshire just outside the Peak District and is 330m asl (1082 feet). Although its distribution reaches the north of Scotland, I think those colonies are near sea level. Research on this butterfly in Wales has suggested that they need lots of smaller meta-colonies but as far as I am aware the nearest colony is 8 miles away at a much lower elevation (c100m asl). Stop press, two days later I discovered another colony just 1 mile away but about 50m lower (280m 918ft).
It is undoubtedly Britain's dullest, most mothlike butterfly, but it does have a certain charm. Its larval foodplant is Bird's Foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) which was growing in abundance here. This one is a female with a "normal" leading edge to the forewing. Males have a folded hem along the forewing that holds scent scales for producing pheromones. The scientific name is Erynnis tages. It was named after the Erynnes, also known as the Furies, who harried wrongdoers in ancient mythology. The name was apparently after the restless movements of the butterflies, as if perpetually chased from place to place by the avenging goddesses. Tages was named after a mythical boy with the wisdom of an old man, who rose suddenly from the ground and instructed the Etruscans in the art of divination.
Dingy Skipper
There is a Dingy Skipper colony near to where I live that I think might be the highest elevation colony in Britain. It is in South Yorkshire just outside the Peak District and is 330m asl (1082 feet). Although its distribution reaches the north of Scotland, I think those colonies are near sea level. Research on this butterfly in Wales has suggested that they need lots of smaller meta-colonies but as far as I am aware the nearest colony is 8 miles away at a much lower elevation (c100m asl). Stop press, two days later I discovered another colony just 1 mile away but about 50m lower (280m 918ft).
It is undoubtedly Britain's dullest, most mothlike butterfly, but it does have a certain charm. Its larval foodplant is Bird's Foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) which was growing in abundance here. This one is a female with a "normal" leading edge to the forewing. Males have a folded hem along the forewing that holds scent scales for producing pheromones. The scientific name is Erynnis tages. It was named after the Erynnes, also known as the Furies, who harried wrongdoers in ancient mythology. The name was apparently after the restless movements of the butterflies, as if perpetually chased from place to place by the avenging goddesses. Tages was named after a mythical boy with the wisdom of an old man, who rose suddenly from the ground and instructed the Etruscans in the art of divination.