help with id please

[Mike p]

I found this butterfly today and I am a bit confused as to what it may be, I know it's a skipper But which confuses me I am thinking it's either a grizzled skipper or a silver spotted skipper but not sure which, it was feeding on on ragwort in brasenose woods part of shotover Oxford. I've never seen one of these in the 6 or 7 years of photographing butterflies in these woods. this butterfly will make 29 species in these woods, Thank you for any help.

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[Allan.W.]

Nice find Mike , Silver Spotted Skipper ,you had better luck than I did today !
Regards Allan.W.

[Mikhail]

A remarkable record: presumably a wanderer from the Chilterns.

M.

[Jack Harrison]

My previous post didn't post.

Question for Mainland Europeans. Is SS Skipper restricted to grassland habitats on the Continent?

Jack

[Mike p]

Sorry it's taken me so long to answer I've been trying to find the nearest colonies to Oxford and as Mikhail said it seems the nearest is the chilterns and they are 8 to 10 miles away, Today I was out photographing butterflies and came across another one in a different field so that makes 2 I've found, I would like to think it's 2 I've found not one twice, to find 2 in 2 fields I would like to think there is a small colony starting but won't know just yet as their season is just starting. I've looked on shotover wildlife website and there is no mention of them ever being here.

Not all the butterflies mentioned are still here. http://www.shotover-wildlife.org.uk/lea ... -butts.pdf


Todays find, this one was on scabious the last was on ragwort

[image]25097[/image]

[Padfield]

Definitely two different individuals. A tremendous discovery!

Guy

[David M]

Fabulous find. Perhaps this is a consequence of the current hot spell? Butterflies wandering further afield than they might normally do.