Gatekeeper

The last few weeks have seen the emergence of a host of Gatekeepers (Pyronia tithonus), small brown and orange butterflies that seem particularly drawn to the grassy part of our garden. They flit along the paths and over the ripening grass flowers in their dozens, always close to the ground and often chasing each other. The one in the picture above is a male, identified by that curving brown "hook" in the forewing, which the female lacks. She's less orange, and has an identifiably different pattern underneath her wings. Gatekeepers were named centuries ago for their habit of visiting the flowers that grew around the gates tucked into hedgerows around agricultural fields. They're still found in such areas, as well as scrubby grasslands (like our pocket meadow), country lanes and woodland rides. They're often found in the same areas as Meadow Browns (Maniola jurtina) and Ringlets (Aphantopus hyperantus), two other butterfly species which we've seen in our pocket meadow as well. In the UK, they're found primarily in the southern and central counties of England and Wales, but they're slowly expanding their range northwards. On cloudy days like today, they tend to spend most of their time spread-eagled on a leaf, a flowerhead or the ground; they're a lot more active on sunny days. Adults feed on nectar from many flowers, but the caterpillars feed on grasses — so Gatekeepers of all ages should be happy at our place!