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Thymelicus sylvestris · raudonbuožis storgalvis

EN · small skipper DE · Braunkolbiger Braundickkopffalter LT · raudonbuožis storgalvis, geltonasis storgalvis LV · brūndzeltenais pļavas resngalvītis FR · Hespérie de la houque PL · karłątek leśny

This butterfly is very similar in appearance to the Essex skipper (Thymelicus lineola). In the small skipper, the undersides of the tips of the antennae are yellow orange, whereas they are black in the Essex skipper.

Eggs are laid loosely inside grass sheaths of the caterpillars food plants from July to August. The newly hatched caterpillars eat their own eggshell before entering hibernation individually in a protective cocoon of a grass sheath sealed with silk. In the spring the caterpillar begins feeding. The caterpillars pupate near the base of the food plant in June with the first adults on the wing at the end of June, a week or two before the first Essex skippers. They are strongly attracted to purple flowers such as thistles and knapweeds.