Gatekeeper - Favourite Photo of 2014

[Wurzel]

Week 5

So continues sequence of posts giving one and all the opportunity to showcase their favourite shots of 2014 (or the last time you saw one)!

Please could I ask that everyone waits until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos? Of course our overseas members are very welcome to fill in the obvious gaps relating to rare UK migrants. As like last year details of locations, dates, times and circumstances would be welcome as would any accompanying stories and anecdotes or other observations of behaviour and interesting other points.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[MikeOxon]

While always nice to see, these do have a habit of turning up while I'm searching for Brown Hairstreaks. In this case, it was on one of several visits to the Roman Road on Otmoor, in search of the elusive BH.

Otmoor, Oxon - 7th August 2014
Nikon D300s with Tamron 90mm macro - 1/125s @ f/8 ISO400

Mike

[Chris Jackson]

My Gatekeeper is from July in the Massif Central in France.
This shows that I was no longer on the South coast of France, but further North, inland. The South coast of France has Spanish Gatekeepers and Southern Gatekeepers but no tithonus that I have noticed - I would be interested to hear the contrary.
Chris

[downland boy]

I found this female whilst I was walking on Ashdown Forest in East Sussex which is predominantly heathland with sandy soils. It's probably not obvious in the photo but I have noticed that the ground colour on Gatekeepers (and also Large Skippers) that I see on the Forest often seem to be a shade lighter than specimens found on the Downs and in the lower Weald.

[Wurzel]

Gatekeeper

Personally I feel that I should be covering this species later in the series as I prefer the more descriptive name of ‘Hedge Brown’ as I’m a Cuprinol fan; I like things that do what they say on the tin I was lucky enough this year/spent a lot of effort in finding some unusually marked Hedgies. There were the usual assortment of 1-6 spots on the under wings, unusually shaped eye spots and various ‘excessa’ including a splendid male with massive splodges rather than dots. However my favourite has to be this one – a possible ‘addenda’ female with extra pupiled spots on the fore wing and clear white marks on the hind wing. She was simply stunning and a fabulous finale to a week in Wales where much of my time was spent wandering the lanes and peering into hedges; feeding my obsession.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

I must admit that I too still think of this species as the Hedge Brown although I do tend to use that and Gatekeeper pretty interchangeably these days.

This is a species that I never really go out to look for specifically but am always glad to see and one that I cannot resist taking a photo of whenever the opportunity presents itself.

I rather like the nice male below, the first example of this species that I saw this year, whilst on my first trip to Dorset in late June/early July...

Gatekeeper - Bowleaze Cove Weymouth 29.06.2014

and this female from Castle Hills near Solihull later in July,

Gatekeeper - Castle Hills Solihull 26.07.2014

My favourite however is probably this mating pair from Castle Hills the week before the one above.

Gatekeeper pair - Castle Hills 20.07.2014

Cheers,

Neil

[millerd]

Oddly enough, the one I like most of many shots of Gatekeepers taken this year was from the same day as one of my Essex Skipper favourites: the damp and drizzly afternoon of 28th June. The lack of light seemed to enhance the colours of this relatively new individual against a lighter background of dripping vegetation.

And for spotting aficionados, this one only barely managed a trace of a second pupil on the forewing...

Dave

[David M]

I always look upon the appearance of Hedge Browns as tantamount to summer being in full swing.

My first this year was spotted at Alner's Gorse on 2nd July:

[Goldie M]

I didn't take too many photo's this year of the Gate Keeper which was a mistake, I depended too much on seeing them when I got back off my holiday's but with the awful weather we had in August they all disappeared , this photo was taken at Carter's Cove Hampshire on the 11th of July Goldie

[PhilBJohnson]

I like Gatekeepers. I think that's a nice composition you have there, Wurzel.
The Gatekeeper has always been one of my favourite butterflies to photograph. This one was clambering between thistles:

f/6.5. Exposure time 1/160. ISO-80

Best wishes.

[bugboy]

Probably the most numerous species in my part of the world in the height of summer.

This perfect female kindly posed for me on 20th July on Walthamstow Marshes.