Butterflies - Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus)
The Gatekeeper or Hedge Brown as it is sometime known is usually found in gateways and along hedgerows. It is often seen in association with Meadow Brown butterflies. The Gatekeeper is an attractive butterfly with its bright orange/brown wings fringed with a wide earthy/grey brown and distinctive black and white eyespot.
The colour and patterning of the wings can be very variable and there are several named aberrations. They are particularly fond of feeding on Bramble and Ragwort.
- Larval Food Plants
- Habitat
- Status
- Key Sites
- Links
- Photographs
Bents (Agrostis spp.)
Fescues (Festuca spp.)
Meadow-grasses (Poa spp.)
Common Couch (Elytrigia repens)
The Gatekeeper can be found anywhere where tall grasses grow close to hedges, trees, or scrub, especially along hedgerows and woodland rides where there is a plentiful nectar source.
Resident in Warwickshire.
Harbury Spoilbank (WWT Reserve)
Rough Hill Wood (WWT Reserve)
Find out more about the Gatekeeper online at the following links;
www.britishbutterflies.co.uk
www.butterfly-conservation.org
www.ukbutterflies.co.uk
A photographic slideshow displaying various images of the Gatekeeper is currently in development.
Details of how you can supply your own photographs for display here will be made available soon.
Flight Chart
The flight chart below is based on observations of the adult Gatekeeper butterfly in Warwickshire between 2005 and 2008. Peak periods are shown in dark green.
Distribution Maps
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| 2011 (1yr) | 2010 (1yr) | 2000-09 (10yr) |
