Female Gatekeeper Female Meadow Brown Butterfly | Slide Mouse

It is often seen together with the meadow brown and ringlet from which it is easily distinguished when basking or nectaring with open wings.

Female gatekeeper female meadow brown butterfly. The anterior half of the segment is swollen dorsally and bears the longest curved dorsal hair. Look for them sipping nectar on sunny days in the summer. Ianira maniola jurtina meadow brown larva in every detail. Unlike many browns the gatekeeper often rests with its wings open which is very helpful when you are trying to determine the gender of a gatekeeper.

The gatekeeper is generally smaller and more orange with a row of tiny white dots on the hind underwings. Immediately below the spiracle is a large bulbous. Gatekeeper pyronia tithonus named for its rigorous patrol of hedges and woodland rides the gatekeeper butterfly is a prime pollinator. Gatekeepers have a black spot near the wing tip usually containing two tiny white dots.

Similar species and subspecies. The male shown here has broad sex brands comprising scent producing scales known as androconia on its forewings. More similar are the dusky meadow brown hyponephele lycaon smaller male androconial area obliquely directed and divided into three parts by veins cu1 and cu2 female with two ochreous ringed eye spots is otherwise very similar pyronia janiroides. The amount of orange on the forewings and the number of black spots found on the underside of the hind wings can vary.

As its english names suggest the gatekeeper also known as the hedge brown is often encountered where clumps of flowers grow in gateways and along hedgerows and field edges. The colour and patterning of the wings are very variable and about a dozen. Where the meadow brown has one white spot in the centre of the black eye spot on the upper wing the gatekeeper as you can see almost always has two. This butterfly rests with its wings open so the underside is less frequently visible.

The head is large ochreous with dark brown eye spots and rust brown mouth parts. Within it are two small white dots whilst the meadow brown only has one white spot there. It is a member of the subfamily satyrinae in the family nymphalidae a similar species is the meadow brown. This is a brown butterfly with an orange patch on each wing surrounding a black eye spot with a single white pupil.

However in comparison it is much smaller and overall a much brighter orange. Only really capable of being confused with the female meadow brown which is bigger and less bright though brighter than the male meadow brown. The meadow brown is the most abundant butterfly species in many habitats. The body is cylindrical and the segmental and sub divisions deeply defined.

The surface is finely reticulated and covered with fine pale ochreous serrated hairs. It almost exactly resembles the young e. This butterfly can only be confused with a female meadow brown maniola jurtina. Similar species are the gatekeeper which prefers to rest with its wings open and the small heath which is smaller.

The female has no such strips and is evidently much more of an orange butterfly. Hundreds may be seen together at some sites flying low over the vegetation.