Gatekeeper
The trend away from too much ‘tidying up’ in the countryside has boosted gatekeeper numbers – they need long grass and the kind of scrub that thrives when old woods regenerate.
They are widespread across southern Britain and frequently found flitting around your ankles from flower to flower. If you’re really lucky, you might even encounter a colony numbering in the thousands. The males make small territories – sometimes a single shrub – then fly up to meet likely females fluttering by.
The colour and patterns of the wings of the gatekeeper are variable and about a dozen aberrations (a variation in wing pattern to the normal form) have been named. Aberrations can occur for a number of reasons, including extremes in temperature, particularly while the butterfly is developing in its chrysalis.
Gatekeeper
The trend away from too much ‘tidying up’ in the countryside has boosted gatekeeper numbers – they need long grass and the kind of scrub that thrives when old woods regenerate.
They are widespread across southern Britain and frequently found flitting around your ankles from flower to flower. If you’re really lucky, you might even encounter a colony numbering in the thousands. The males make small territories – sometimes a single shrub – then fly up to meet likely females fluttering by.
The colour and patterns of the wings of the gatekeeper are variable and about a dozen aberrations (a variation in wing pattern to the normal form) have been named. Aberrations can occur for a number of reasons, including extremes in temperature, particularly while the butterfly is developing in its chrysalis.