A brown butterfly with some orange markings on a purple flower

Essex Skipper. Photo: Kevin Denham

A brown butterfly with some paler and orange markings on a purple flower

Essex Skipper. Photo: Kevin Denham

Kevin sent in these two photos with the following comments:

I observed this Essex Skipper in my garden near Broadmayne yesterday 10/07/2024.  This is the first record of this species in the garden and brings the total number of species identified to 26 over the past three years.

Editor’s Note:  The Essex Skipper is virtually identical in appearance to the Small Skipper apart from the distinctive glossy black tips to the underside of the antennae (those of the Small Skipper being dull brown or orange).  This one has been confirmed as an Essex Skipper by one of our “verifiers” and the black tips are clearly visible in these photos.

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