Speckled Wood amongst the Oak
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.
The 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.
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.
The 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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Also in: Insects and the like
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