Lulworth skipper to the Canary Islands, displays colour variations, with the uppersides of the forewing showing defined yellow–orange markings. The butterfly is sexually dimorphic; females have a distinct circle of golden marks on each forewing, often called "sun-ray" markings due to their likeness to the rays around the eye of a peacock's feather. Males sometimes have these markings, though they are noticeably fainter (see "Illustration 1"). The Lulworth skipper is found locally across southern and central Europe, Asia Minor and North Africa, where its population is considered stable. In northern Europe, its numbers and range have severely declined, most notably in the
Lulworth Cove Lulworth Estate, an estate held by the Welds wealthy landowning family. Land to the east is owned by the Ministry of Defence and used for tank training, only open on weekends and holidays. The coast and land to the north and around the village is owned and managed by the Lulworth Estate (see Lulworth Castle). Each year, over 250,000 people walk across the hill linking the cove to Durdle Door. Stair Hole, less than half a mile west is an infant cove which suggests what Lulworth Cove would have looked like a few hundred thousand years ago. The sea has