Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)

Family: Nymphalidae Checklist: 59.003

 
Description
Wing span: 40-45 mm. The Speckled Wood is a common butterfly. The sexes are similar. It is found throughout the British Isles except the extreme north of Scotland. Its habitat is deciduous, coniferous and mixed woodland, but it can be found anywhere there is sufficient scrub to provide the dappled shade that it favours. This includes gardens and hedgerows.
 
Images (click to enlarge)
Speckled Wood ♂ © David Hastings
Speckled Wood ♂ underside © David Hastings
Speckled Wood ♀ © David Hastings
Speckled Wood ♀ underside © David Hastings
Male Male underside Female Female underside
 
Life Cycle
There are usually three generations per year. The first starts around the end of April, the second in July and the third in September. Both larvae and pupae over-winter, which makes the Speckled Wood unique among British butterflies.
 
Larval Foodplants
The main larval food plants are Cock's-foot (Dactylis glomerata), Common Couch (Elymus repens), False Brome (Brachypodium pinnatum) and Yorkshire-fog (Holcus lanatus).
 
Nectar Sources
Adults feed primarily on honeydew or sap.
 
UK Conservation Status
Least Concern
 
Earliest UTB first sighting (since 2004) : 16th January
Mean UTB first sighting (since 2004) : 29th March
 
 
Distribution and Sites
 

Key
1 sighting 2-9 max seen 10+ max seen
This species is a habitat generalist, so can be found almost anywhere in the UTB region.

 
Related Species
All Species