Both sexes of this moth-like Skipper look much the same. The upperwings are mainly grey-brown, with a blurred pattern on the forewings of darker patches and shiny areas, and an oily looking sheen in sunlight. Tiny white dots embellish the outerwing edges of all wings and the fringes are pale grey. There is some variation in the strength of this pattern, and old adults look truly dingy and very pale. The underwings are light grey-brown, unmarked except for small white dots.

Although it is easy to identify in Britain, beginners sometimes confuse Dingy and Grizzled Skippers: the latter has a much more contrasting pattern, especially on the underwings, and distinctly chequered black and white fringes.

Dimensions:
Adult wingspan: 27-34mm.

National:
This skipper is found through out much of the British Isles but is rather restricted in Scotland and Ireland (where it is the only skipper). It prefers chalk and limestone downland and coastal landslips but is generally localised to areas of sparse vegetation.

At Durlston:
The butterfly is generally distributed on the Park on areas of short turf and other sparsely vegetated sites.

The pea family provides this skipper its larval foodplant in the form of Bird's-foot-trefoil Lotus corniculatus, Greater Bird's-foot-trefoil L. pedunculatus, and Horseshoe Vetch Hippocrepis comosa. The eggs are laid on the shoots from which, upon hatching, the larvae form refugea from which they feed. At the end of the season the larvae forms a more secure shelter in which they hibernate and pupation, within the hibernaculum, is delayed until the following spring although some may pupate within the same season arising a small second generation. The adult is then on the wing from early May to early July while some may be found later in August as a result of a second generation.