Return to moorhen home page
Return to section index
Image-of-the-Day by Subject
Butterflies Page 12
Image Taken on 12 Jul 2024
at 13:10 Image of day on 20 Aug 2024
A few more butterflies are showing themselves.
This one is called a Gatekeeper from their habit (in the past) of flying about in the
weeds near gateposts.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20240820_r70_20240712_1310_086 gatekeeper butterfly (1st of 2024)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 07 Jul 2025
at 09:42 Image of day on 27 Aug 2025
The Gatekeeper Butterfly is said to take its name from its habit of fluttering around
the gateposts of Edwardian & Victorian houses.
The quick diagnostic from other brown butterflies is that the black circle contains
TWO proper white dots.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20250827_d72_20250707_0942_029 gatekeeper butterfly (1st of 2025)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 07 Jul 2025
at 13:56 Image of day on 27 Aug 2025
Another Gatekeeper Butterfly showing the top of the wings.
The rear wings differ from the underside, but the Forewings are quite similar.
This Butterfly looks mostly orange in flight, while the Meadow Brown has dark
upper wings and looks quite dark in flight.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20250827_d72_20250707_1356_034 gatekeeper butterfly (1st of 2025)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 12 Jul 2017
at 12:28 Image of day on 27 Aug 2017
A Gatekeeper Butterfly on the dead grass ground cover next to one of the many
young thistles that mean that sandals will NOT do if you walk over the rough grass.
.jpg)
Ref: 20170827_df3_20170712_1228_012 gatekeeper butterfly by thistle(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 18 Jul 2022
at 08:07 Image of day on 03 Sep 2022
This pristine Gatekeeper Butterfly is 'tucking into' a Blackberry flower.
The temperature then quickly rose as the hot south wind supplemented the
hot sun. By mid-day the skies and flowers were deserted in favour of finding
a shady spot and staying there!
.jpg)
Ref: 20220903_d73_20220718_0807_040 gatekeeper butterfly feeding on blackberry flower(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 29 Jul 2021
at 10:23 Image of day on 07 Sep 2021
Another sighting of a Gatekeeper Butterfly enjoying one of the thousands of
Blackberry flowers now offering their nectar and at the same time pollinating
the flowers for us to harvest the fruit in the autumn.
.jpg)
Ref: 20210907_df3_20210729_1023_073 gatekeeper butterfly feeding on blackberry flower(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 27 Jun 2018
at 13:56 Image of day on 13 Aug 2018
The Gatekeeper Butterfly (also known as the Hedge Brown, and older names Hedge
Eye, Small Meadow Brown, and Large Heath) has two white dots in its black spot
(unlike the single dot in a Meadow Brown).
In the 1970s we got really confused by these Browns, named differently in
different books, and are pleased we have just discovered why.
.jpg)
Ref: 20180813_df3_20180627_1356_012 gatekeeper butterfly feeding on blackberry flower(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 19 Jul 2020
at 12:12 Image of day on 24 Aug 2020
An immaculate female Gatekeeper Butterfly - the first female we have managed to
photograph this year. The 'boys' will be pleased :-)
.jpg)
Ref: 20200824_d73_20200719_1212_082 gatekeeper butterfly female feeding on cow parsley(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 10 Aug 2012
at 13:46 Image of day on 09 Sep 2012
The small Gatekeeper butterflies seem to spend most of their time
on Blackberry flowers. This flower head includes a Flower bud, a
forming fruit, and a fairly exhausted open flower.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20120909_da1_20120810_1346_111+1425_016_ft1 gatekeeper butterfly in flight with blackberry head including bud+flower+fruit (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 06 Jul 2009
at 08:58 Image of day on 07 Aug 2009
The gatekeeper butterfly has appeared. It is barely 2/3 the size
of the meadow brown, but the two white dots in the black spot is
characteristic
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20090807_da1_20090706_0858_034+20090705_1518_200 ft1 gatekeeper butterfly in flight with clover flower (montage)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 18 Jul 2025
at 10:48 Image of day on 08 Sep 2025
Two images of Gatekeeper Butterflies, the left showing the top of the wings,
and the right the bottom of the wings. The forewings seem to match identically,
but the rear wings are a complete mismatch. Amazing!
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20250908_d72_20250718_1048_041+1049_042 gatekeeper butterfly on blackberry flower - top of wings left - bottoms at right (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 12 Jul 2006
at 17:08 Image of day on 16 Jul 2006
A gatekeeper butterfly on blackberry leaf.
.jpg)
Ref: 20060716_d60_20060712_1708_742 gatekeeper butterfly on blackberry leaf(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image of day on 26 Jul 2005
A Gatekeeper butterfly on a recently cut branch
.jpg)
Ref: 20050726_d60_03591 gatekeeper butterfly on cut twig 2005jul09_17-41-38(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 13 Jul 2023
at 13:52 Image of day on 08 Sep 2023
The Gatekeeper Butterfly is smaller than the larger Red Admiral (lots of these this year)
and Peacock (only one seen this year on 18July2023).
Their antennae are shadowed on the leaf below.
.jpg)
Ref: 20230908_df3_20230713_1352_006 gatekeeper butterfly on leaf with shadow of antennae on leaf below(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 12 Jul 2020
at 09:11 Image of day on 19 Aug 2020
A Gatekeeper Butterfly enjoying the nectar from a Ragwort flower.
.jpg)
Ref: 20200819_d73_20200712_0911_057 gatekeeper butterfly on ragwort(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 19 Jul 2024
at 11:17 Image of day on 20 Aug 2024
Out in the meadow, and along the hedges outside our patch, Ragwort is
flowering in great burning clumps of gold. This gatekeeper Butterfly stops
off for a feed to fuel that endless fluttering search for more food and a
mate. The yellow flowers are a bit washed out here to make the detail of the
darker butterfly clearly visible.
.jpg)
Ref: 20240820_r70_20240719_1117_068 gatekeeper butterfly on ragwort flower(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 25 Jul 2018
at 10:03 Image of day on 14 Sep 2018
Wild flowers have been flowering well and supporting large numbers
and variety of Butterflies.
.jpg)
Ref: 20180914_df3_20180725_1003_014 gatekeeper butterfly on wilting leaf(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 15 Jul 2023
at 11:16 Image of day on 08 Sep 2023
A couple of days later this pair of Gatekeeper Butterflies are mating on a grass blade.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20230908_d72_20230715_1116_012 gatekeeper butterfly pair mating on grass leaf (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 19 Jul 2024
at 09:31 Image of day on 20 Aug 2024
A Gatekeeper Butterfly looks almost surreal on this pristine white Bindweed flower.
.jpg)
Ref: 20240820_r70_20240719_0931_057 gatekeeper butterfly perched near centre of white bindweed flower(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 29 Jul 2019
at 10:41 Image of day on 17 Sep 2019
This Gatekeeper Butterfly has it's Proboscis only loosely rolled.
Look under the Antennae - it looks like a few specks of pollen are stuck to it.
.jpg)
Ref: 20190917_df3_20190729_1041_006 gatekeeper butterfly with proboscis partly uncoiled(r+mb id@768).jpg
Comments and requests for image use
To make a comment, ask for information or to request a full
resolution image, send us an email including the reference or
the date for the image you are interested in.
All initial contacts should be made using the icon below:-
