Andrew Chick Ecology

The Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus malvae) is one of our smallest butterflies, but also one of the most beautifully marked. Its dark brown wings are covered with a distinctive chequerboard of creamy-white spots, giving it an appearance quite unlike any of our other skippers.

It is very much a spring butterfly, usually appearing from mid-April and flying through May into June. Despite its small size, it can be surprisingly difficult to follow. Its flight is extremely rapid and darting, and the chequered pattern seems almost to disappear as the wings blur in flight. Fortunately, Grizzled Skippers frequently stop to bask with their wings spread flat, providing a much better opportunity to appreciate their intricate markings — and, with luck, take a photograph.

In Lincolnshire, the Grizzled Skipper is a particularly interesting butterfly. The county lies towards the northern edge of its British range, with Twyford Wood in south-west Lincolnshire traditionally regarded as its principal stronghold. Surveys have also discovered a number of smaller colonies elsewhere in the south-west of the county, particularly associated with old quarries, disused railway lines and other areas of sparsely vegetated ground.

These apparently untidy places can provide exactly what the butterfly needs: warm, sheltered patches with plenty of bare ground and low-growing vegetation. The caterpillars feed on plants including Wild Strawberry, Creeping Cinquefoil and Agrimony, while adults can often be found basking on bare earth or feeding at low-growing flowers.

Sadly, the Grizzled Skipper has declined considerably in Britain and is now regarded as Vulnerable on the GB Red List. Loss of suitable open habitat through scrub encroachment and changes in land management have contributed to its decline.

Fortunately, it continues to survive at a number of Lincolnshire sites. Indeed, records from spring 2026 included good numbers at Twyford Wood and other sites around Grantham, showing that this delightful little butterfly can still be found in the county where suitable habitat remains.

Photographed in Lincolnshire, this Grizzled Skipper is a reminder that some of our most interesting wildlife can be remarkably small. At barely more than an inch across, it would be very easy to overlook — but seen closely, it is surely one of the most intricately patterned butterflies of the Lincolnshire spring.

Photo by Andrew P Chick, taken in Lincolnshire