Dingy Skipper
Erynnis tages
Photograph by Leon Truscott
Dingy Skipper (Erynnis tages)
Photograph by Leon Truscott
Common Bird's-foot-trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) is the usual foodplant in all habitats. Horseshoe Vetch (Hippocrepis comosa) is also used on calcareous soils, and Greater Bird's-foot-trefoil (L. pedunculatus) is used on heavier soils.
Colonies occur in a wide range of open, sunny habitats including chalk downland, woodland rides and clearings, coastal habitats such as dunes and undercliffs, heathland, old quarries, railway lines, and waste ground. Suitable conditions occur where foodplants grow in a sparse sward, often with patches of bare ground in a sunny, sheltered situation. Taller vegetation is also required for shelter and roosting.