GATEKEEPER BUTTERFLIES ARE BACK

Published on July 16, 2015 by Rolling Harbour

This is the first Gatekeeper I have seen this year. We have had an unusually prolific season for meadow browns over the last few weeks, which in ‘closed wing’ position I find easy to confuse with gatekeepers, unless I can see the wing spots clearly. But this one was obligingly drying its wings – they are very undamaged so I assume it is a very recent arrival (in butterfly form, anyway), maybe even today.

Now I’ve seen the first, I’m hoping to see them everywhere…

3 thoughts on “GATEKEEPER BUTTERFLIES ARE BACK”

afrenchgarden says:

July 17, 2015 at 8:30 am

I’ve just seen my first Gatekeepers too. You did well to catch some with their wings open. Amelia

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1. Rolling Harbour says:
  
  July 17, 2015 at 9:14 am
  
  Thanks, Amelia. I read that whereas Meadows Browns are found all over meadows etc (and the garden. And in the house!), Gatekeepers are so named because they hang around the perimeter, often near field gates. And my first one was within 10 feet of a field gate… so maybe some truth in it. RH (PS bee house doing well. 4 or 5 osmias are using it)
  
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  1. afrenchgarden says:
    
    July 17, 2015 at 2:38 pm
    
    Funny you should say that but we have had one trying desperately to get in the dining room French windows which surely count as the gate to our house!
    
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