Meadow Brown Butterfly | Slide Mouse

Meadow brown maniola jurtina adult butterfly.

Meadow brown butterfly. The larval foodplants are a wide variety of grasses such as fescues meadow grass couch cock s foot and false broom. The meadow brown maniola jurtina is a butterfly found in the palearctic realm its range includes europe south of 62 n russia eastwards to the urals asia minor iraq iran north africa and the canary islands the larvae feed on grasses. The meadow brown is the most abundant butterfly species in many habitats. Adults fly even in dull weather when most other butterflies are inactive.

The meadow brown is mainly brown with washed out orange patches on the forewings. The best way to identify the brown butterflies is by looking at the eyespots on their wings. Some species look completely different if viewed from the top or bottom sides of the wings and are included in more than one section. The two species can be difficult to distinguish with closed wings since the underwing markings are very similar however the gatekeeper tends to rest with its wings open whereas the meadow brown usually rests with its wings closed.

Identify a butterfly you can set or adjust your search criteria in the left hand column below. The gatekeeper is generally smaller and more orange with a row of tiny white dots on the hind underwings. There is no evidence to support the theory that the butterfly is double brooded. Meadow brown butterfly egg and life cycle.

Hundreds may be seen together at some sites flying low over the vegetation. If you know which butterfly you would like more information on use our butterfly a to z. This identification guide only includes butterflies found in the museum s butterfly rainforest exhibit it is not intended to cover all species worldwide. Meadow brown butterfly maniola jurtina nymphalidae lepidoptera and six spot burnet moth zygaena filipendulae zygaenidae meadow brown maniola jurtina male top row female middle bottom rows.

Widespread and common throughout britain and ireland. It is a member of the subfamily satyrinae in the family nymphalidae a similar species is the meadow brown. Similar species and subspecies. Living insect photographed against a white background.

Butterflies emerge from late may and can still be seen as late as october. This species can be found in all parts of the british isles with the exception of the most mountainous regions and shetland this is a highly variable species with four named subspecies found in the british isles although the differences between them are often subtle. The meadow brown is single brooded even in southern europe and north africa but has a very protracted emergence beginning in early june and extending into september.