Identifying features
Wingspan 26–34 mm. The wings are yellowish-brown on the upper side; the male has slightly darker, broader wing borders, while the female has significantly darker brown wing borders and, sometimes, the yellowish colour broken up into spots. The female lacks the long, spiral lines with scent scales found on the male’s forewings. The underside is orange-yellow, without a clear pattern, sometimes with a transverse band of lighter spots.
Similar species
No confused species are described in the sources examined. Silver-spotted skipper is distinguished by its green underside with numerous white spots.
Distribution
Large skipper is a slowly expanding species that, by the end of the 1800s, reached Hälsingland, and a hundred years later, extended as far as Norrbotten, but is absent in Lappland. It has been found in all landscapes except Gotland. Norway is found in all southern counties and in Finland in the southern and central parts.
Biology
The roosters are strongly territorial and often stay in areas where open corridors in the forest landscape converge, for example, clearings at crossroads. When intruders enter, proper aerial battles are fought high above the treetops.