Chequered Skipper

Scientific Name - Carterocephalus palaemon

Flight Period - May to June

Overwinters as - Larva

Habitat - Woodland rides

Larval foodplants - False Brome, Wood Small-reed

Conservation status - Reintroduced

Northamptonshire distribution - Rockingham Forest

Best public sites to see them - Fineshade Wood

The Chequered Skipper is an iconic butterfly which, until relatively recently, used to inhabit all of Northamptonshire’s main woodlands. Despite being recorded as abundant in the first part of the twentieth century the species undertook a rapid decline which finally led to its extinction in the county in 1976. Fortunately, an exciting project was developed in order to reintroduce the Chequered Skipper back into its former Northamptonshire strongholds and in 2018 the Back from the Brink Project, in partnership with Butterfly Conservation, released a number of Belgian Chequered Skippers into Fineshade Wood. On May 19th 2019 the first Chequered Skippers to emerge in Northamptonshire for nearly half a century were recorded. Since then, they have been recorded each year and their distribution around the woodland has widened. If you are planning to visit Fineshade Wood during the butterfly’s flight time keep an eye out to see if Butterfly Conservation has organised guided walks as attending one of these will give you the best chances of seeing one. For more information about the Chequered Skipper reintroduction project please click here.

Jamie Wildman, a butterfly ecologist and recent graduate of the University of Northampton who worked on the Chequered Skipper reintroduction project has kindly offered to share his thesis on this webpage, you can download it here - Wildman, J.P., 2023. The History, Ecology, and Reintroduction of the Chequered Skipper Butterfly Carterocephalus palaemon in England

Jamie Wildman has also kindly allowed me to share his second paper which you can read here (view only) - Using photographic mark‑recapture to estimate population size, movement, and lifespan of a reintroduced butterfly

Chequered Skipper Distribution - 2018-2022

Chequered Skipper

Chequered Skipper

Chequered Skipper

Chequered Skipper - Larva

Chequered Skipper - Pupa

A Chequered Skipper being released into Fineshade Wood. Note the red marks on the wings to show that it is of Belgian origin