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Butterfly  Speckled Wood

Speckled Wood - Photo © Copyright 2003 Gary Bradley
Photo: G. Bradley

UK Safari Tip:
Need help identifying butterflies? Checkout the beautifully illustrated fold-out chart in the Nature Shop called "Butterflies of Britain" - click here

Latin name: Pararge aegeria

Size: Wingspan approximately 45mms.

Distribution: Found throughout the UK. Less common in Scotland.

Months seen: April to October.

Habitat: Woodland glades and rides.

Food: Nectar.

Special features: These butterflies tend to be found, as their name suggests, in woodlands. They are normally seen fluttering in the shafts of sunlight which penetrate through the woodland canopy.

Click for a better viewThe males are fiercely territorial. They will sit perched on foliage, waiting for other passing males to enter their air space. When this happens they instantly take to the air and engage it in a fight.

The mid-air 'dogfight' involves spiraling round and round the intruder until it's driven away. It is believed that the males have one wing smaller than the other, in order to perform this spiraling manoeuvre more skillfully.

The bright green caterpillars feed mostly on grasses.



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 © 2006 G. Bradley. All Rights Reserved