About Hesperia comma Linnaeus, 1758
Hesperia comma Linnaeus, 1758 is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae, with two different common names: it is called silver-spotted skipper in Europe, and common branded skipper in North America. This different naming is needed because in North America, Epargyreus clarus, a spread-winged skipper, already holds the common name "silver-spotted skipper". This species is often confused with the large skipper Ochlodes sylvanus, but can be easily distinguished by the numerous white spots on its underside hindwings. Additionally, the tips of its upper forewings tend to be darker than those of the large skipper. Their flight periods also rarely overlap: in Britain, the large skipper’s flight season is almost completely finished when the silver-spotted skipper begins flying in August. The silver-spotted skipper prefers warm calcareous sites. It has a wide distribution: it ranges as far south as North Africa, extends north through Europe to the Arctic, and goes east across Asia to China and Japan. It also has subspecies living in North America. In the United Kingdom, this species is rare, and restricted to the chalk downlands of southern England. Females lay single eggs in August and September on the leaf blades of sheep's fescue (Festuca ovina), which is the only foodplant for this species. Females will occasionally lay eggs on nearby plants instead. Females are very selective about their egg-laying sites: most eggs in the UK are laid in turf that is up to 4 cm tall, and are often placed next to patches of bare ground. This species overwinters in the egg stage, and eggs hatch in March. Like other skippers, the larvae build small tent-like structures using leaf blades and silk, and feed from within these structures. Larvae enter the pupal stage after 14 to 15 weeks, at the base of their foodplant. Pupation lasts 10 to 14 days, and as with most butterflies, males emerge first.
