Head to head
Speckled Wood vs Meadow Brown
Speckled Wood
VS Meadow Brown
The speckled wood and meadow brown are two common brown butterflies of Europe whose caterpillars both eat grasses, but they live in different places and behave very differently.
| Speckled Wood | Meadow Brown | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Pararge aegeria | Maniola jurtina |
| Habitat | Shady woodland, hedgerows, and gardens | Grassland, meadows, and road verges |
| Wings | Dark brown wings spotted with cream or yellow patches and eyespots, matching dappled light | Brown wings with a single black eyespot on each forewing, and larger orange patches in females |
| Behaviour | Males defend patches of sunlight on the woodland floor in spiralling duels | Flies even on cloudy days, when many other butterflies stay settled |
| Overwintering | Can spend the winter either as a caterpillar or as a chrysalis | Caterpillars spend the winter feeding slowly on grass |
| Broods | Often several broods in a year | One brood a year, through much of the summer |
| Range | Europe and North Africa, extending east into western Asia | Europe, North Africa, and western Asia |
| Conservation status | Least Concern, and expanding in parts of northern Europe | Least Concern, and one of the most numerous butterflies in many areas |
Speckled Wood vs Meadow Brown: common questions
Which butterfly defends sunbeams?
The speckled wood, whose males defend patches of sunlight on the woodland floor and drive off rivals in spiralling flights.
Which butterfly flies in dull weather?
The meadow brown, which flies even on cloudy days.
What do their caterpillars eat?
Both feed on grasses as caterpillars, which is why they thrive wherever rough, ungrazed grassland survives.