Brown Butterflies
THERE are four common “brown” butterflies that can be encountered during the summer months, meadow brown, ringlet, gatekeeper, and speckled wood.
All four species belong to the Satyrinae subfamily which often have eyespots on their wings and typically have an erratic, bobbing flight and are often found in meadows and other areas of grassland where their caterpillars feed on grasses and sedges.
The best way to identify the “brown” butterflies is by looking at the eyespots on their wings.
The meadow brown is mediumsized and one of the commonest grassland butterflies, on the wing from June to September and are found in all parts of the British Isles, except for the most mountainous regions.
It is mainly brown with washed-out orange patches on the forewings. The combination of its relatively large size, orange patches on the forewings only, one eyespot on the forewing and none on the hindwings, is unique to the meadow brown- making it a great identifying feature. The meadow brown also has only one small white ‘pupil’ in the eyespots, instead of two like the gatekeeper. It favours grasslands but also occurs in parks, gardens, and cemeteries. It even flies in dull weather when other butterflies are inactive. Adults can be seen in large numbers, flying low over the grass and flowers. Caterpillars feed on a variety of grasses such as fescues, bents, and meadowgrasses.
The ringlet is also a mediumsized, sooty-brown butterfly which flies between June and August and is commonly found along woodland rides, edges, and hedgerows, as well as damp grassland. Adults prefer bramble and wild privet flowers as nectar sources. The caterpillars feed on a variety of grasses including cock’s-foot and false broom. It is a dark, sooty to chocolate brown butterfly, with a white fringe along its velvety wings. The ringlet has three eyespots on the underside of the forewings and five eyespots on the underside of the hindwings, although variations in these markings do occur.
The gatekeeper is generally smaller than the meadow brown and ringlet. It is on the wing in July and August, and is a butterfly of grassland, hedgerows and woodland edges - feeding on wild marjoram, bramble, and ragworts avoiding areas of short, open grassland. The foodplants of the caterpillars are a variety of grasses such as fescues and bents. It is brown above, with large orange patches in the middle of the wings. The combination of bright orange wing patches, one large eyespot on the forewing and one smaller eyespot on the hindwing, is unique to the gatekeeper. The gatekeeper also has two small white ‘pupils’ in the eyespots.
The speckled wood is on the wing in two or three broods between the end of March and October, and occasionally into November. It is a common and widespread butterfly of woodland edges and rides, flying in the dappled sunlight, and can also be seen in hedgerows and gardens, occurring throughout England and most of Wales, and is spreading into the south of Scotland.
Due to its tolerance of shade in summer it can be found in wooded areas where other butterflies are absent.
It has dark brown wings with creamy yellow spots with three small, cream-ringed eyespots on each hindwing and one on each forewing, it is the only butterfly in Britain which has a pattern of cream patches on a dark brown background. Unique amongst British butterflies, speckled wood can overwinter as either a caterpillar or chrysalis. The first adults seen in spring have emerged from chrysalises; later adults will have developed from overwintering caterpillars.