The small skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris) is named for its quick, darting flight habits. Like the other orange grass skippers the male has a distinctive black stripe made up of scent scales. It is very similar to the Essex skipper (Thymelicus lineola) but the undersides of the tips of the antennae are yellow orange, whereas they are black in the Essex skipper. Its range includes much of Europe (east to the Urals, including Ireland, Britain and Scandinavia), north Africa and the Middle East. It is typically occurring where grass has grown tall.