Speckled Wood

Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)

These days, our Crab Apple (Malus 'John Downie') is shedding fruits left, right and centre. Mike has been gathering them up and piling them atop a dead stump in the back corner of the garden, and that pile has been attracting all sorts of insects. The other day, those insects included a rather battered Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria), a species that is most common in woodland, but also occasionally found along hedgerows and in gardens. It's common and widespread across much of Britain, though missing from northern England and southern Scotland. Although it declined precipitously at the end of the 19th-century, it has recovered and recolonised much of its former range. Elsewhere, it's found across northern and central Europe and northern Africa, east as far as Russia and central Asia. Its colouration is perfect for its preferred habitat — dappled sunlight in shady forest understorey. Adult Speckled Woods spend most of their lives sipping honeydew from aphids high in the treetops. They're rarely seen at flowers (or rotting fruits), except early and late in the year, when aphids are less common. Speckled Wood caterpillars feed on a variety of grasses, many of which grow in our pocket meadow, so maybe we're hosting youngsters even though we haven't knowingly seen any.