This is a very local skipper of the high Alps, found in scattered colonies from the Maritime Alps, through Switzerland and Italy to Austria. I have found it in just one site - a very steep, shaly, flowery slope at about 2300m. There, it flies low over the grass, often stopping to nectar, in the company of many other species of grizzled skipper, including Carline, large, olive and dusky. Unfortunately, the terrain makes chasing an individual well-nigh impossible and most of the times I have been there Warren's skipper has flown at very low density, making photography difficult.

This is a very small skipper with sparse white spots on the forewing - always discrete, never joined - and rather pointy wings. It is similar to upland forms of large grizzled skipper and care must be taken not to confuse it with small specimens of this. The upperside hindwing marks are very obscure and the upperside generally has a characteristic, dull gold-banded appearance. The underside hindwing is similar to that of large grizzled skipper too, but is always a dull green colour with rather crowded white spots - because of the small size of the wing. There is no subtlety or shading - just white on matt green. The discal band is complete, though the spot in s.2 may be small, and all three basal marks are present (distinguishing this from dusky grizzled skipper). 

The caterpillars feed on rock rose and it is this stage that hibernates. Adults are on the wing in July and August.