Silver-spotted Skipper (Hesperia comma)
Silver-spotted Skipper (Hesperia comma)
Silver-spotted Skipper (Hesperia comma)
Silver-spotted Skipper (Hesperia comma)
Silver-spotted Skipper (Hesperia comma)
Silver-spotted Skipper (Hesperia comma)

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Silver-spotted Skipper (Hesperia comma)


Photo © Chris Van Swaay
FamilyHesperiidae
SubfamilyHesperiinae
GenusHesperia
Speciescomma
Authority(Linnaeus, 1758)
English NameSilver-spotted Skipper
European Red List 2010Least Concern (LC)
EU 27 Red List 2010Least Concern (LC)
European Red List 2025Least Concern (LC)
EU 27 Red List 2025Least Concern (LC)
Habitats DirectiveHD II ssp
Bern Convention
CITES

Description

The Silver-spotted Skipper occurs on open, poor grasslands, heathlands, and on sparsely covered blown sand. The habitat varies from dry to moist, but is never rich in nutrients. However, in their search for nectar, the skippers do visit nutrient-rich areas where flowers are growing, usually not so far from their breeding ground. Eggs are laid on various fine-leaved grasses, passing the winter in this stage. In the spring, the caterpillars emerge and spin a shelter from blades of grass in which they spend most of their time, usually coming out to feed at night. When fully-grown, the caterpillar spins a cocoon of silk and grass blades near the ground in which it pupates. The Silver-spotted Skipper has one generation a year.

Distribution

Albania / Andorra / Austria / Belarus / Belgium / Belgium: Flanders / Belgium: Wallonia / Bosnia and Herzegovina / Bulgaria / Croatia / Czechia / Denmark / Estonia / Finland / France / France: Mainland / Germany / Greece / Greece: Mainland / Hungary / Italy / Italy: Mainland / Italy: Sicily / Latvia / Liechtenstein / Lithuania / Luxembourg / North Macedonia / Moldova / Montenegro / Netherlands / Norway / Poland / Portugal / Portugal: Mainland / Romania / European Russia / Serbia / Serbia: Serbia / Serbia: Kosovo / Slovakia / Slovenia / Spain / Spain: Mainland / Sweden / Switzerland / European Türkiye / Ukraine / United Kingdom / United Kingdom: Great Britain /

Larval Foodplants

#OrderFamilyGenusSpeciesVernacular NameLink
1PoalesPoaceaeAgrostisvinealisBrown Bent
2PoalesPoaceaeAvenellaflexuosaWavy Hair-grass
3PoalesPoaceaeCorynephoruscanescensGrey Hair-grass
4PoalesPoaceaeDeschampsiacespitosa ssp. cespitosa
5PoalesPoaceaeFestucaFescues
6PoalesPoaceaeFestucaovinaSheep's-fescue
7PoalesPoaceaeFestucarubraRed Fescue
8PoalesPoaceaeHolcusSoft-grasses
9PoalesPoaceaeLoliumperennePerennial Rye-grass
10PoalesPoaceaeLoliumpratense
11PoalesPoaceaeNardusstrictaMat-grass
12PoalesPoaceaePoaMeadow-Grasses
13PoalesPoaceaeTriticumWheats