Gatekeeper

The Gatekeeper is a medium-sized butterfly with warm orange-brown wings. These wings have distinctive dark edges and noticeable eyespots. Male Gatekeepers have a bold dark mark across their front wings, while females have lighter, more patchy colouring. Both males and females usually have two white spots within the black eyespots on their front wings, which helps to tell them apart from similar butterflies. This butterfly is common across England, Wales, and southern Ireland but becomes less common further north. It is not found in Scotland, except for occasional visitors. The Gatekeeper prefers sheltered grassland areas such as hedgerows, woodland edges, country lanes, and gardens. The adult butterflies are active from mid-July to early September. They especially like feeding on bramble flowers and often rest on grasses with their wings closed. When resting, the patterns on the underside of their wings help them blend into their surroundings, making them hard to spot.