Grizzled Skipper?

[Pete Collins]

I'm pretty sure that this is a Grizzled Skipper, but as I've never seen one before I thought I'd better check. I didn't realise they were so tiny!

It was on steep chalk downland at Bison Hill, Whipsnade, Beds., around lunchtime today.

[RobinP]

Hi Pete

Yes it is, also can be seen at Aldbury Nowers NR. Not easy to spot unless you've got you eye in (so to speak).

Robin

[Pete Collins]

Thanks very much, Robin.

I walk past the Aldbury Nowers reserve quite often (in fact I did so last Sunday!), so I know it's a good spot for butterflies. It was an information board there that once helped me identify a Dark Green Fritilary that I'd just seen on Pitstone Hill.

I knew you could find Grizzled Skippers in places on the steep slopes of the Chiltern escarpment, as I saw them mentioned on an information board at the Aston Rowant Nature Reserve in Oxfordshire once. But as I said, I hadn't realised how small they were.