Wingspan: 30–32 mm
Flight period of butterflies: in one generation from May to July
Larval host plants: species from the grass family (Poaceae), mainly velvet grass (Holcus lanatus), meadow foxtail (Phlaeum pratense) and wood false-brome (Brachypodium sylvaticum)
Long-tailed thick-headed skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris) is a small butterfly that is common and widespread in our country. Its chunky body and the upper side of its wings are brown-orange in color with a golden sheen. Along the edge of its wings runs a dark, almost black band, in the middle of the forewing there is a thin black line. The underside of the wings is orange-brown with a hint of gray-green.
It prefers meadows on wetter soils, where the grasses that feed the caterpillars grow; you can also find it along forest edges, in clearings and in scrubby areas. It occurs from the sea to beyond the forest boundary. It is very similar to the short-tailed thick-headed skipper, which is usually somewhat smaller, and the black line on the upper side of its forewings is shorter and thinner.
