Belongs to: brown butterflies
Compare with: meadow brown
Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus
Also known as: hedge brown
Best time to see: mid Jul to end Aug
Key facts
A medium-sized brown grassland butterfly
Habitat: rough grassy areas containing scrub, hedgerows, woodland edge and rides
Common across southern England and Wales
Recognition
Upperwings orange with grey-brown borders and a large black eyespot, usually with two white pupils
Jerky, fairly rapid flight, rarely flying across open areas or settling on the ground; wingspan 40–47mm
Seem to prefer yellow flowers such as fleabane or ragwort, also bramble
Lifecycle
Pale, almost spherical eggs laid on grass or vegetation sheltered by shrubs in July/August
Caterpillars feed at night on various tender grasses, hibernating when quite small
Pupate in June/July, the chrysalis hanging below vegetation
© Tony Gunton
© Tony Gunton