Essex Skipper, dorsal view, on the north bank. The dark margin to the wings is diffuse, and the black suffusion extends tapering up the wing veins. The antenna tips seem to be dark all over. Essex Skipper on Bramble leaf. The underside of the antenna tip is black, and again the black suffusion of the veins at the back of the wing can be seen clearly. Distant shot across the Ramp Meadow, but … it’s certainly a Large Skipper, with those distinctive pale spots on the wings. The butterfly is indeed quite a bit bigger than the other Skippers, and the spotted appearance makes it look quite different both in flight and at rest.This little butterfly in side view, on Ragwort, has the underside of its antenna tips brownish, which would make it a Small Skipper. There are helpful comparison photos on the UK Butterflies Essex Skipper page under ‘Similar Species’. However, none of the antenna tips shown there look as dark as any of the Small/Essex skippers shown here. This photo, taken on the 12th of July, shows the antenna clearly. I’d say it was the same species as the last photo, and we can see two things clearly: there’s little suffusion of black up the wing veins, and the antenna is not boldly black-tipped on the underside, both of which an Essex Skipper should have. Nor is the antenna underside specially rufous brown.
Finally on the 8th, walking round with Netty, I saw a Ringlet, its darker wings unmistakably marked with a line of little rings.
The English seem unemotional … except for their passion for nature
