Gatekeeper butterfly

The butterfly population of the UK seems to have crashed this year. Survey numbers show they are well down, and our unscientific study of local butterflies shows it to be the case in our garden and in the wider countryside too. Interestingly, the gatekeeper butterfly has thrived more than most other species, and this obliging example let me get quite close for my photograph.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

A gatekeeper butterfly

One of the things that can make identifying butterflies problematic is the variation within species. I've recently photographed what my eyes suggest is a quite rare High Brown Fritillary but my mind is fairly sure is a much more common Dark Green Fritillary. I've also photographed this Gatekeeper, and even though it looks somewhat different to my previous photograph of the species, both have variations in colour and markings that correspond with fairly common examples of the type.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Gatekeeper or Hedge Brown

Both English names of the butterfly Pyronia tithonus indicate something of the species' habitat. Gatekeeper alludes to it commonly being found on flowers growing in gateways, whilst Hedge Brown describes how it likes hedgerows and field edges. The species' food plants include wild marjoram, common fleabane, ragworts, and bramble. This particular example - and others nearby - favoured bracken, but this was probably only used as a place on which to sun themselves. Gatekeepers exhibit some variation in their markings. The butterfly in the photograph has four small brown "eyes" as well as the big dark eyes with double white spots.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10