www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

This one might only appeal to the purist, but I find Hesperids fascinating, and they are often overlooked by many travellers, with some not even prepared to officially recognise them as butterflies.

So, I will post my top ten from this group that I have personally seen on my travels, and there are plenty I'd like to see that I have not, meaning I will look at others' favourites with some interest.

Now this may be a bit more "niche" than Blues and Fritillaries, so it will be very interesting to see which species get posted by enthusiasts here. Will we be seeing a plethora of Pyrgus from Roger?

Number 10 Silver-spotted Skipper H.comma
This one just makes it into my top ten. I saw my first Silver-spotted Skippers many years ago at Fontmell Down in Dorset, and was impressed by their underside markings, and comparative UK rarity at the time. I regularly stumble across them in the French Alps, and also elsewhere in France and Spain. Always a pleasure to see.

Number 9 Safflower Skipper P.carthami
This skipper is a favourite, as it is a frequent companion when walking at altitude in the Alps of south-east France. A really nicely marked skipper, and relatively easy to identify, as Pyrgus species go, especially if you get a clear view of the underside wing edges.

Number 8 Canarian Skipper T.christi
I can count the number of Canarian Skippers that I have seen on one hand. Very similar to our own Lulworth, both of these were photographed on La Palma. One of several Canary Islands endemic butterflies.

Number 7 Pygmy Skipper G.pumilio
Also known as the "now you see me, now you don't" Skipper. These guys are extremely fast! The speed with which they can take off and accelerate out of sight is incredible. I have encountered them in several parts of Greece, usually at low altitude and particularly in the bottom of gorges, and along dry river beds. Very dark butterflies.

Number 6 Warren's Skipper Here's one especially for David . This makes it into the top ten for three reasons: firstly, it's rarity value and difficulty in finding this species; secondly, the subtlety of its delicate markings and its diminutive size; and thirdly, for choosing to fly in such stunning high altitude landscapes.

Top five to follow shortly.

Ho Ho Ho David you have pulled a flanker on your choice of  subject, not sure I can find ten Skippers that I have confidence in having correctly identified  , but never the less I will give it a go.

 Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris) a busy little Skipper this one is demonstrating its gymnastic skills on a harebell flower,
La Brenne Regional Nature Park, Indre, France. Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus malvae)   Widspread in the UK and France blink and they're gone. Silver spotted Skipper (Hesperia comma). this one is from Broughton Down, Hampshire ,

Number 5 Cinquefoil Skipper P.cirsii
A vulnerable and highly localised skipper, unless you happen to be in the Montes Universales in Spain where these photo's were taken, where it can be incredibly numerous. I love the clean markings on this lovely Pyrgus, and it is another that is quite easy to identify.

Number 4 Grizzled Skipper ab.Taras P.malvae ab.taras
I travelled from Lincolnshire to deepest darkest Cornwall a couple of years ago with the singular aim of tracking down this beautiful aberration, and I was greatly assisted by two famous local experts. The experience was akin to seeing a new species! A very special butterfly.

Third place Yellow-banded Skipper P.sidae
This is a butterfly that I have only seen twice. Both of my sightings were of singletons, both in Var, and on both occasions it was the size of the butterfly that set alarm bells ringing. This is a BIG skipper, with exquisite underside markings.

Second place Zeller's Skipper B.borbonica
This is a dramatic insect! Big, powerful, fast, pugnacious, and showing a rich golden-bronze colour. I made a special trip out to Cadiz province in Spain to meet up with it in October. At this time of year it was numerous, if somewhat hyperactive. I was very happy to manage to get a few photographs!

First place Large Chequered Skipper H.morpheus
My absolute favourite European Skipper. It has a huge personality, with a unique bouncing and bobbing flight, almost as if suspended on elastic, and the great contrast between the rather drab upperwings and the stunning underwings give it a very distinctive look. I saw my first one (a singleton on a roadside verge) years ago in the Picos de Europa, then a few years later I found it in excellent numbers in the forests of Brittany. More recently I have seen it in the Dordogne. This was an easy choice for the top place!

I had a feeling you'd have some enviable delights to post in this category, Pete.

I have no doubt that your #1 would be mine too if only I had seen it! Yellow Banded and Zeller's are two others very much on my wish list.

My only surprise is how low warrenensis placed.

David M wrote: ↑Mon May 11, 2020 3:28 pm I had a feeling you'd have some enviable delights to post in this category, Pete.

I have no doubt that your #1 would be mine too if only I had seen it! Yellow Banded and Zeller's are two others very much on my wish list.

My only surprise is how low warrenensis placed.

It was a tough job, trying to rank these David! You are correct. I am sure warrenensis deserves a higher place, but I don't know what I would relegate...
I never really thought of myself as a Pyrgus fan, and yet they make up 5 of my top 10!

Yes, Pete, pyrgus are a somewhat acquired taste, but whilst, like single malt whisky, they don't necessarily appeal immediately, over time they become a favoured source of satisfaction.

I wouldn't be without them simply because of the challenges they present.

Here goes with my top ten, in reverse order:

#10. Cinquefoil Skipper

This one came out of the blue. My first visit to the Montes Universales in Spain in 2018 promised several rarities, but it was only when I got there that I realised this species was one of them.

It's by far the commonest pyrgus in late summer in this area, and its bold upperside makings and reddish underside mark it out as one of the more attractive members of its family:
#9 - Silver Spotted Skipper

No doubt this is a fine looking Hesperid, and although quite rare in the UK, it crops up in numbers in both France and Spain, meaning that it's perhaps lower on my list than its looks warrant:

My first encounter with the Mallow Skipper ( Carcharodus alceae) was at the Nature Reserve of Moëze-Oléron, Charente-Maritime, a new and exciting butterfly that set me off on an adventure, the subtle colours and ragged looking edges gives it a special appeal that I cannot explain, the Mallow Skipper remains one of my great favourites
Marbled Skipper (Carcharodus lavatherae) another unexpected find whilst looking for the Gavarnie Blue easy to spot as it appears almost white in flight. Hautes-Pyrénées.
Tufted Marbled Skipper (Carcharodus flocciferus) now I do hope that I have this one correctly identified, if not at least I have several capable and experienced experts on these pages who can help. Safflower Skipper (Pyrgus carthami) Molines en Champsaur is where I have found carthami on every visit to this peaceful valley, less flighty than some other of it's Pyrgus cousins, a Female ? with subtle soft brown markings

Hi Medard,

Can I guess that you saw the Marbled Skippers at the Barrage de Gloriettes?

I was there on 10 July last year and they were present in huge numbers. I counted at least fifty, very unusual for a species that is usually only encountered in ones or twos. Here is a photo of a group of them puddling.
https://www.butterfliesoffrance.com/htm ... es_10Jul19_

Roger

Ten out of ten. Roger.

#8 - Southern Marbled Skipper

I have only encountered this attractive Hesperid in eastern Spain, and I am yet to properly do it justice.

A few have been seen buzzing around the dry river beds, but such is their speed of travel and general level of activity I have been reluctant to invest too much time in pursuing them given the plethora of other desirable species that fly amongst them.

It is however, a striking little butterfly, and one I aim to devote more time to studying in the coming years:
#7 - Sage Skipper

Another eastern Spain resident, which flies in very much the same type of habitat as Southern Marbled Skipper.

Hard to say why I find it so appealing. Perhaps it's just that it's a bit 'different'.

Here's one puddling with two Cinquefoil Skippers:
....and here's an underside shot, which isn't all that easy to get given that this species generally seems to settle wings open:

A clear winner for me here in the form of the happy, whirring Dingy Skipper, a butterfly I have always hugely enjoyed watching going about its business. A bunch of photos here, mostly from the old quarry on Bathampton Down (it looks like I will fail to see them here for the first time since 2005). In this part of Somerset the species has a somewhat precarious hold, in old quarries, coal-tips, railway sidings and the like, many of which are sadly disappearing under a tide of bramble growth.

I am lucky enough to have a colony within walking distance, which seems to be having an excellent year.

Here are a few photos of other species, usually where I remember the individuals concerned as "good butterflies", memorable for whatever reason. For the non-UK species I tend to find the scientific name easier to remember, rather like micro-moths, a distinction they share with the Mellicta fritillaries (which I also find impossible to identify) and certain coppers (which I don't).

Yellow-banded Skipper (Pyrgus sidae) the photos are of two exampes taken at sites a few miles appart near La Roquebrussanne,Var, the distinctive underside of sidae cannot be confused with any of the others of its group. I  must confess I had a little help with the location of this one.
Chequered Skipper (Carterocephalus palaemon) This charming little Skipper is an irresistible attraction for any one with a passion for butterflies  a must see on many poeples wish list, photos taken near Héric, Loire-Atlantique.
see video below
https://jamesgibbs6929.zenfolio.com/p18 ... #he7cf284a
Large Chequered Skipper (Heteropterus morpheus) if I have to chose my favorite Skipper this is the one, it would also easily make it into my top ten butterflies, it has an amusing bouncy bobbing fligh pattern, I met my first in the Fôret de Tronçais at Saint-Bonnet-Tronçais, Allier, it came bobbibing along the track and settled on a  blackberry flower in front of me, a moment to remember,  I have since found them at seval locations across France, a must see on every ones tlist. https://jamesgibbs6929.zenfolio.com/

My ten favourite Skippers, in reverse order.

No. 10 Tufted Marbled Skipper (Carcharodus flocciferrus)
Rather larger than its Carcharodus cousins and very variable in colour, some males being almost charcoal grey. It is principally found in upland regions but also as low as around 400m, and usually singly or in small numbers. The first photo is a male and the second is a mating pair. No.9 Carline Skipper (Pyrgus carlinae)
A very neat Pyrgus of high altitudes. The “C” shaped cell spot of the male is indicative of this species, but the degree of C-ness can vary greatly, something that the books often seem to omit. The underside is a very rich deep brown colour and the markings are usually quite distinct. The first photo is of a male with a very pronounced cell spot, the second is a female (uppermost of a mating pair) showing that the cell spot clue only applies to males (and this male cell spot is at the other end of the range for C-ness), and a neat male underside. No. 8 Rosy Grizzled Skipper (P. onopordi)
Always the first to appear in southern Var (with malvoides) and triple brooded in that region. The first is a male upperside, the second a female, and the third a female underside that shows the anvil-shaped discal mark (the French describe it as “en forme d’un enclume”) that characterizes this species and the black edging to the markings. No. 7 Chequered Skipper (Carterocephalus palaemon)
A very cute and unique Skipper in France. It is generally found in damp areas or at higher altitude and is very uncommon in Provence. I once found it north of Digne-les-Bains and I had to produce a photo to convince the locals (the OPIE PACA Atlas shows only two dots in the PACA region). The first is a typical male, the second a very orange male, and the third an underside. I have left out Yellow-banded Skipper (P. sidae) as it has been covered well by others. My top list has been rather more influenced by rarity than “iconic” status. More to follow.

PS - a very beautifully marked Dingy Skipper, the first in your series, Chris. Nothing dingy about that.

Very nice, Roger. Your top five should be illuminating!

#5 - Tufted Marbled Skipper

I go for this species more for its behaviour than its looks. It is incredibly pugnacious and is a powerfully built hesperid, capable of seeing off much larger butterflies with its bold, rapid flight:
#4 - Foulquier's Grizzled Skipper

Quite rare and with a restricted range, this pyrgus is one of the most prominently marked in its genus and also possesses those interesting white tufts at the end of the abdomen:

David M wrote: ↑Wed May 13, 2020 4:02 pm

#4 - Foulquier's Grizzled Skipper

Quite rare and with a restricted range, this pyrgus is one of the most prominently marked in its genus and also possesses those interesting white tufts at the end of the abdomen:

Very pleased to see Foulquier's represented David, and I think many of us know a particularly reliable place to find this rarity!

petesmith wrote: ↑Wed May 13, 2020 5:22 pmVery pleased to see Foulquier's represented David, and I think many of us know a particularly reliable place to find this rarity!

Indeed we do, Pete.

One of the many joys of being a European butterfly aficionado.