Nature notes: the skippers

The skippers are a family of small golden-brown butterflies that are now flitting nimbly through long grass on roadsides. They have an unusual way of holding their wings when they settle. Their rear wings remain flat, and their front wings are held at an angle of 45 degrees on top of them, like a tiny half-open book. The small skipper is very common and has plain wings. It sips nectar from thistles. However, the males spend much of the day sitting on a sunlit leaf looking out for females to chase. Another skipper that is very similar is the Essex skipper, which was first identified in Essex. The only notable difference between these two species is a very fine one — the colour of the