The Chequered Skipper is
an attractive butterfly with bright gold markings on
a chocolate background on its upper side and a fringe
of fine white hairs. The Chequered Skipper is one of
the earliest of the butterflies to emerge and feed in
woodland glades in springtime.
The butterfly is believed to have been widespread across
England and western Scotland, but following the Second
World War showed signs of rapid decline leading to extinction
in England due to habitat loss. The major stronghold
for Chequered Skipper is now Lochaber and north Argyll,
with Sunart an important part of the range.
Adult butterflies emerge and fly from mid-May until
late in June, feeding on the nectar of bluebell, bugle
and thistles. Males will hold a small territory and
mate with any female which flies into it. The eggs are
laid singly onto tussocks of purple moor grass, which
is the food plant of the caterpillar. In summer, the
caterpillars use a special silk to roll blades of the
grass to form a shelter within which they feed.
During this stage the caterpillars are white with a
black head and acquire further black markings as they
develop. They abandon their shelters in early September,
at which stage they are pale green with a brown head,
and graze in the open until late October/early November,
during which time they darken to a mid green colour
with paler stripes and green head. To hibernate they
again join grass blades together using silk. The caterpillar
emerges in April, now a straw colour which matches the
dead grass leaves on which it basks for two weeks before
pupating.
Habitat requirements for the Chequered Skipper include
sunny glades and other open areas close to nectar sources
for the adult butterflies, and tussocky areas of purple
moor grass for the larvae. This combination occurs regularly
in the Sunart oakwoods and other similar woodlands,
hence the relative success of the butterfly locally. |
