Hampshire and Isle of Wight Butterfly and Moth Society
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Butterfly and Moth Society
| Family: | Hesperiidae |
| Subfamily: | Hesperiinae |
| Genus: | Ochlodes |
| Species: | sylvanus |
| Authority: | (Esper, 1777) |
This is one of the largest of our "golden" skippers and, like these other skippers, the male has a distinctive sex brand on its forewings containing specialised scent scales. Although this species forms discrete colonies, it is widespread and can be found in England and Wales as far north as Ayrshire in the west and North Northumberland in the east. This species is not found in Ireland or the Isle of Man, and is restricted to Jersey in the Channel Islands.
| #Individuals | #Tetrads | 2022 | 2023 | Abundance Trend | 2022 | 2023 | Distribution Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2992 | 7350 | +145% | 310 | 314 | +1% |
| #Records | #Individuals | Earliest Record | Latest Record | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Records | 43,891 | 140,317 | 28/04/2007 | 22/09/2013 |
| 2023 | 2,076 | 7,350 | 22/5/2023 | 22/8/2023 |
| Location | Date | Quantity | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earliest Record | Kingston | 22/5/2023 | 1 |
| Latest Record | Martin Down (South) transect: Section 4 | 22/8/2023 | 2 |
| Highest Count | West Wood | 5/7/2023 | 100 |
One of the issues with 'raw' trend data is that there is inherent bias based on the number of recorders. For example, the number of individuals and populated tetrads recorded are likely to increase if there is an increase in the number of recorders. In order to remove this bias, the normalised trends use data that has been recalculated using the average number of recorders over the trend period. This normalisation gives a much better picture of the true trends.
Average #Recorders: 230.68
Average #Recorders: 230.68