III. Species Action Plans - Newcastle City Council

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14. Dingy Skipper 14. Dingy Skipper (Erynnis tages) General Description From a distance the dingy skipper can easily be mistaken for a day-flying moth. Both the male and female are fast fliers and appear similar. It is a small well camouflaged brown and grey butterfly and is best seen on sunny days. During dull days or at night they rest with their wings folded back in a moth-like way. They require a sparse sward with an abundance of the larval food plants, common bird’s foot-trefoil, greater bird’s foot-trefoil or horseshoe vetch. Bare ground is also important for this species, as much of it’s time is spent basking in the sun with its wings wide open. Habitats include woodland rides and clearings, sand dune systems, heathland, old quarries, railway lines and waste ground. Eggs are laid singly on young leaves of the food plants with larvae emerging in May. The larvae feed through the summer months, hiding in tents that they create by spinning leaves together. By August the larvae will be fully grown and will spin more leaves together to form a hibernaculum for the winter. The Dingy Skipper is an inactive species and unlikely to colonise new areas of habitat unless they are in close proximity to existing populations. Colonies are distinctly small, containing fewer than 50 individuals at the peak flight period, which means they can easily be overlooked. Newcastle & North Tyneside Biodiversity Action Plan 56 Current Status In recent decades the dingy skipper has had a 42% decline nationally and as a consequence, the species is now on the UK BAP list. In addition, any site found supporting a dingy skipper population in Northumberland, Newcastle & North Tyneside, automatically meets the criteria for designation as a Local Wildlife Site (LWS). It is a highly localised species and many of the key sites tend to be post-industrial sites in particular along disused railway lines and waggonways. There are a limited number of dingy skipper sites in Newcastle and North Tyneside, due to isolation and loss of habitat for this species. At present there are two known sites in North Tyneside and seven in Newcastle. Protection/Legislation UK BAP Priority Species (listed on S41 list of NERC Act 2006) Issues of Concern Loss of habitat through development, agriculture and tree planting. Lack of site management leading to natural succession by scrub and tall vegetation, which shades out the food plants and reduces bare ground. Isolation of existing colonies. Trampling of vegetation by humans in the larval and pupal stages. Inappropriate site management leading to loss of food plants/larval plants.
14. Dingy Skipper 14. Dingy Skipper DINGY SKIPPER TARGETS Continue to survey and map the distribution of dingy skipper Establish monitoring at all key sites to determine any change in status Protect dingy skipper sites where possible and secure appropriate mitigation where adverse impacts will occur. Ensure that land owners and managers are aware of the presence of the species and establish appropriate methods of habitat management Re-survey locations where current status is not clear Maintain communication with Butterfly Conservation to raise awareness of this butterfly and its management requirements Include the habitat requirements of dingy skipper when drawing up mitigation or restoration measures in the development control process where sites are located adjacent to existing colonies Seek and develop opportunities to establish new colonies Links to Other Plans Habitat Action Plans Transport Corridors Brownfield Land Managed Urban Greenspace Lowland Grassland 57 TARGET DATE Annually Annually Ongoing Ongoing 2013 Ongoing Ongoing Ongoing PARTNERS NCC, NTC, ERIC, BC NTC, NCC, ERIC, BC NTC, NCC, NWT, Community NTC, NCC, NWT BC, NTC, NCC, ERIC NTC, NCC NTC, NCC NTC, NCC, 14. Dingy Skipper Newcastle & North Tyneside Biodiversity Action Plan
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Newcastle & North Tyneside Biodiver
Page 4 and 5:
Contents Contents I. ACKNOWLEDGEMEN
Page 6 and 7:
1. Buildings & Structures III. Habi
Page 8 and 9: 1. Buildings & Structures BUILDINGS
Page 10 and 11: 2. Estuary & Coastal Habitat and lu
Page 12 and 13: 2. Estuary & Coastal Habitat Alien
Page 14 and 15: 2. Estuary & Coastal Habitat Links
Page 16 and 17: 3. Brownfield Land Weetslade Collie
Page 18 and 19: 4. Transport Corridors 4. TRANSPORT
Page 20 and 21: 4. Transport Corridors Links to Oth
Page 22 and 23: 5. Open Water & Wetland with associ
Page 24 and 25: 5. Open Water & Wetland OPEN WATER
Page 26 and 27: 6. Rivers & Watercourses 6. RIVERS
Page 28 and 29: 6. Rivers & Watercourses RIVER & WA
Page 30 and 31: 7. Managed Urban Greenspace 7. MANA
Page 32 and 33: 7. Managed Urban Greenspace MANAGED
Page 34 and 35: 8. Native Woodland 8. NATIVE WOODLA
Page 36 and 37: 8. Native Woodland Issues of Concer
Page 38 and 39: 9. Lowland Grassland 9. LOWLAND GRA
Page 40 and 41: 9. Lowland Grassland Links to Other
Page 42 and 43: 10. Scrub, Shrub & Hedgerow Hedgero
Page 44 and 45: 10. Scrub, Shrub & Hedgerow Potenti
Page 46 and 47: 11. Farmland Birds Yellowhammer (Em
Page 48 and 49: 11. Farmland Birds FARMLAND BIRD TA
Page 50 and 51: 12. Bats 12. BATS General Descripti
Page 52 and 53: 12. Bats Protection/Legislation All
Page 54 and 55: 13. Amphibians 13. AMPHIBIANS Gener
Page 56 and 57: 13. Amphibians Loss of suitable bre
Page 60 and 61: 14. Dingy Skipper Potential Target
Page 62 and 63: 15. Otter Incidental mortality caus
Page 64 and 65: 16. Urban Birds 16. URBAN BIRDS Gen
Page 66 and 67: 16. Urban Birds Protection/Legislat
Page 68 and 69: 16. Urban Birds Links to Other Plan
Page 70 and 71: 17. Water Vole courses in and aroun
Page 72 and 73: 18. Red Squirrel 18. RED SQUIRREL (
Page 74 and 75: 18. Red Squirrel Links to Other Pla
Page 76 and 77: 19. Hedgehog Lighting of bonfires w
Page 78 and 79: 20. Slow Worm SLOW WORM Determine t
Page 80 and 81: 21. Bumblebee Protection/Legislatio
Page 82 and 83: 22. Brown Hare 22. BROWN HARE (Lepu
Page 84: 22. Brown Hare Newcastle & North Ty
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III. Species Action Plans - Newcastle City Council

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