Invertebrates
Gatekeeper
Pyronia tithonus · also called hedge brown
In the heat of high summer, gatekeepers gather on a bramble-covered hedge, their orange wings and twin-pupilled eyespots flashing as they sip nectar.
Overview
The gatekeeper, Pyronia tithonus, is a Least Concern butterfly of hedgerows and field edges across southern and western Europe. Its orange wings, double-pupilled eyespot, and fondness for bramble flowers make it one of the best-known butterflies of late summer.
A butterfly of the hedge
Hedgerows give the gatekeeper both nectar from bramble and shelter for its grass-feeding caterpillars, so it has benefited from the survival of old field boundaries.
Status
Least Concern, widespread and increasing in parts of northern Europe.
Gatekeeper: common questions
Why is it called the gatekeeper?
It is often seen along hedgerows and at field gateways, which gave it the name, and it is also called the hedge brown.
How can you tell a gatekeeper from a meadow brown?
The gatekeeper is brighter orange and has two tiny white dots in its black forewing eyespot, while the meadow brown has one.
When can you see gatekeepers?
They fly mainly in July and August, with a single brood each year.
Where is the gatekeeper found?
It lives along hedgerows, field edges, and woodland rides across southern and western Europe, and north into Britain.