Searching for Dingy Skipper, Erynnis tages, at Devil ’ s Dyke, Cambridgeshire

The weather picked up mid-morning, so I pinged my photo buddy Andy to see if he fancied taxiing me to Devil’s Dyke to seek out the cluster of Dingy Skipper butterflies not by others at this chalky embankment adjacent to Newmarket Racecourse. He did and within seconds of stepping on to the Dyke, we’d seen our first Adonis Blue (a presumed introduction dating to some time during the first lockdown). There were several Brimstone and a few Whites within the first few steps too.
Adonis Blue butterfly at Devil’s Dyke
We had to walk a bit further to pick up more Adonis Blue of which we probably saw several dozen over the course of 2-3 hours. Also Common Heath and Yellow Shell moth and one or two micros. Numerous Brown Argus and Small Copper butterflies along the banks. There is no Field Scabious in bloom yet and no sign of Marbled White nor the more common here, Chalk Hill Blue butterflies.
Male Brown Argus, not to be confused with females of various “blue” species, the diagnostic is: if it’s looks a bit like this and has a long thin abdomen, then it’s a male and can only be a Brown Argus
But, we had success with the Dingy Skipper, Erynnis tages, which is new to my butterfly list, the first “NFM” for me in 2023.
Dingy Skipper, Erynnis tages, butterfly on chalk footpath
Different angle on Dingy Skipper, Erynnis tages
Now, you might be wondering where we draw the line between moths and butterflies, the Dingy Skipper certainly has a...

Source: David Bradley Sciencebase - Songs, Snaps, Science - May 23, 2023 Category: Science Authors: David Bradley Tags: Lepidoptera Source Type: blogs