Ocholdes venata
Wingspan 33 - 35mm
Description
This bright golden Skipper is larger than the other gold skippers, and can be seen a week or two earlier. The male can be distinguished from the female by the conspicuous black sex band on the forewing.
Flight Period
3rd week in May until late August.
Larval food Plants
Various Grasses, including:
Cock's-foot (Dactylis glomerata)
False Broom (Brachypodium)
Purple Moor Grass
Habitat Requirements
Grassland: South facing slopes
Roadside verges
Woodland clearings, edges and glades
Status
Common and widespread.
Earliest sightings
Historic earliest county record, 6th May 1893
Earliest county record 10th May 2012
Latest sightings
Latest county record 20th August 2007