Gatekeeper

Scientific Name - Pyronia tithonus

Flight Period - June to September

Overwinters as - Larva

Habitat - Gardens, Parks, Grasslands, Hedgerows, Woodlands

Larval foodplants - Bents, Fescues, Meadow-grasses etc

Conservation status - Low Priority

Northamptonshire distribution - Widespread

Best public sites to see them - Anywhere with suitable habitat

The Gatekeeper is a very common and widespread butterfly in the county and is often counted well into treble figures at some sites at their peak emergence time. The butterfly gets its name from its preferred habitat of hedgerows. When they have their wings open they are quite unmistakable but when they are closed the underwings can provide an identification problem and can be confused with the Meadow Brown. The underwing of the Gatekeeper is much more distinctly marked than the Meadow Brown and has a row of white spots going from top to bottom. For more details on how to identify the commoner Browns please click here.

Gatekeeper Distribution 2018 - 2022

Gatekeeper Upperwing

Gatekeepers Mating

Aberrations are quite common in Gatekeepers. This is an example of the ab. excessa