View allAll Photos Tagged Gatekeepers
Named for its rigorous patrol of hedges and woodland rides, the gatekeeper butterfly is a prime pollinator. Look for them sipping nectar on sunny days in the summer.
This butterfly rests with its wings open, so the underside is less frequently visible. The male, shown here, has broad sex brands, comprising scent-producing scales known as androconia, on its forewings; the female has no such strips and is evidently much more of an orange butterfly. 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. There is a wingspan difference between the sexes - but who can estimate size with any degree of accuracy when a butterfly is in flight? Males, with their wingspan typically 4cm, are slightly smaller than females, which usually have a wingspan of about 4.5cm
.Also known as the Hedge Brown butterfly, the Gatekeeper is fond of brambly hedgerows and ragwort-infested scrubland where nectar-bearing flowers are plentiful.
This short-lived butterfly of high summer emerges from the beginning of July onwards but by the end of August there are very few if any left to see.
Gatekeepers are seen throughout England, but they are more abundant in southern counties. In Wales the Gatekeeper is fairly common in the south and west but is less frequently seen the further north you go. In Scotland the Gatekeeper is seen very rarely, and the same is true of most of Ireland, although along the coastal strip of southern Ireland there are reasonable numbers of this lovely golden butterfly.
Lifecycle
The larval foodplants of the Gatekeeper are various grasses, in particular the various bents (Agrostis spp), meadow-grasses (Poa spp) and fescues (Festuca spp). The egg-laying habitat is rough grassland at hedged field margins, in woodland rides, fire breaks and larger clearings, and in scrubby grassland and wasteland where bushes have sprung up among grasses.
Female Gatekeepers drop their straw-yellow eggs from the air onto or near to suitable grass tussocks, generally in the shade of a small bush or a hedge. The eggs darken and become mottled brown-grey as, over a period of two to three weeks, the larvae develop inside the egg case. Once they have eaten their way out of the egg case, the tiny caterpillars consume their foodplant during daylight. After the first moult, the caterpillars crawl deep down into the base of their grass tussock and there they hibernate until the following spring. On waking, the green (sometimes brown) caterpillars become nocturnal feeders. They pupate in June or early July after their fourth moult, and the adult butterflies emerge from their chrysalises about three weeks later.
There are small white spots in the grey-brown mottling on the hindwing of the Gatekeeper. The Southern Gatekeeper, Pyronia cecila, is similar, but it has a more silvery mottled underside to its rear hindwings without the white spots.
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. It is often seen together with the Meadow Brown and Ringlet, from which it is easily distinguished when basking or nectaring with open wings.
The colour and patterning of the wings are very variable and about a dozen aberrations have been named. Favourite nectar sources include Wild Marjoram, Common Fleabane, ragworts, and Bramble.
It is widespread in southern Britain and its range has extended northwards in recent years. Its range is far more localized in southern Ireland.
Chobham Common , UK
A dull breezy day with not a lot to see .All the pools have dried up ,so no Dragonflies about .
* This is my first photograph of a Gatekeeper Butterfly . We rarely see them so I was happy to get a decent shot
THANKS FOR YOUR VISIT TO MY STREAM.
I WOULD BE VERY GRATEFUL IF YOU COULD NOT FAVE A PHOTO
WITHOUT ALSO LEAVING A COMMENT
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. It is often seen together with the Meadow Brown and Ringlet, from which it is easily distinguished when basking or nectaring with open wings.
The colour and patterning of the wings are very variable and about a dozen aberrations have been named. Favourite nectar sources include Wild Marjoram, Common Fleabane, ragworts, and Bramble.
It is widespread in southern Britain and its range has extended northwards in recent years. Its range is far more localized in southern Ireland.
Species: Pyronia tithonus.
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. It is often seen together with the Meadow Brown and Ringlet, from which it is easily distinguished when basking or nectaring with open wings. Info: Butterfly Conservation.
Many thanks to people who view or comment on my photos.
Sometimes we don't need any, do we
We can figure out our own boundraries
Know when we are allowed to enter
Or not to enter
Even tho it's never so tempting
But all images like this
Looking like a paradise
It's always allowed to enter
Heaven is for everybody
And heaven is a personal issue
You can name your heaven
Having your image of your heaven
And your heaven is the correct one for you
That's of course my point of view
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. It is often seen together with the Meadow Brown and Ringlet. This Gatekeeper was seen on heathland in the New Forest, Hampshire.
Gatekeeper butterfly (Pyronia tithonus). Have a good week ahead all my Flickr friends! Taken in Stanmore.
Many thanks to you ALL for the views, faves and comments you make on my shots it is very appreciated.
The gatekeeper or hedge brown (Pyronia tithonus) is most commonly found in southern and eastern Britain and coastal areas of south and south-east Ireland. It is also found in the Channel Islands, but not in Scotland nor the Isle of Man. Given its preference for warmer weather, the restriction of range expansion can be assumed to be due to climate. Colonies vary in size depending on the available habitat, and can range from a few dozen to several thousand butterflies
Gatekeeper butterfly visiting a large daisy for some nectar. This was by the new pond at Gloucester Park which was put in by the developers when the built houses over the site of the old boating lake. I have to say they have done a pretty good job of it. There are lots of wild flowers and reeds growing around it and it's a great place to see insects.
Female Gatekeeper, also known as a Hedge Brown, seen by the canal in Ebley, Stroud. handheld standard iPhone shot, tweaked in DxO Optics Pro then 'Photos' on Mac.
For more info.:-