UK Butterflies - Speckled Wood

Wingspan
Male: 46 - 52mm
Female: 48 - 56mm

Speckled Wood

Pararge aegeria

pa-RAH-jee
ee-JEER-ee-uh

Linnaeus, 1758

Ref: 1614

Superfamily:	Papilionoidea
Family:	Nymphalidae
Subfamily:	Satyrinae
Genus:	Pararge
Subgenus:
Species:	aegeria
Subspecies:	tircis (Godart, 1821)
	oblita (Harrison, 1949)
	insula (Howarth, 1971)

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Introduction
Distribution
Annual Cycle
Habitat
Larval Foodplants
Nectar Sources

Imago
Ovum
Larva
Pupa
Similar Species
Videos

Sites
Conservation Status
Links
References


Male	Male Underside	Female	Female Underside

	Introduction

The Speckled Wood is a common butterfly and familiar to many observers, especially in woodland where, as its name suggests, it is most often found. The appearance of this butterfly changes from north to south, forming a "cline", where individuals in the north are dark brown with white spots, with those in more southerly locations being dark brown with orange spots. This has given rise to a number of named subspecies.

Subspecies: tircis

This subspecies occurs through the range of this species, with the exception of Scotland and the Isles of Scilly.

Subspecies: oblita

This subspecies represents the population found in Scotland. This subspecies is larger that the tircis subspecies, is darker and has paler white patches on the upperside.

Subspecies: insula

This subspecies occurs on the Isles of Scilly. It differs from the tircis subspecies by having larger and more orange-coloured pale patches on the upperside.

	Distribution

This butterfly is found in self-contained colonies throughout the British Isles, but is absent in both the south and extreme north of Scotland. However, as this species expands its range, it is anticipated that it will fill the remaining gaps in its distribution.

	Annual Cycle

This species is unique among the butterflies of the British Isles in that it can overwinter in 2 stages, as both a larva and pupa. As a result, there is a mixed emergence with adult butterflies on the wing from April through to September, with a few adults being seen as early as March or as late as October, especially at southern sites. There are 2 or 3 generations, depending on location and weather conditions and adults of later generations are generally darker than those emerging earlier in the year.

Subspecies: tircis

Subspecies: oblita

Subspecies: insula

	Habitat

As its names suggests, this butterfly is primarily found in woodland, but can be found anywhere there is sufficient scrub to provide the shaded conditions that this butterfly favours which includes gardens and hedgerows.

	Larval Foodplants

The main larval foodplants are Cock's-foot (Dactylis glomerata), Common Couch (Elytrigia repens), False Brome (Brachypodium sylvaticum) and Yorkshire-fog (Holcus lanatus).

	Nectar Sources

The main nectar source is Honeydew / Sap. Bramble (Rubus fruticosus agg.), Cuckooflower (Cardamines pratensis), Dandelion (Taraxacum agg.), Fleabane (Pulicaria dysenterica), Privet (Ligustrum vulgare) and Ragwort (Senecio jacobaea) are also used.

	Imago

This butterfly is often seen in more-sheltered conditions than other species and is often the only species seen in dappled shade, or in overcast conditions.

The male is territorial and will inhabit a particular clearing or hedgerow, where he will rest on a prominent sunlit perch waiting for a passing female. Other males are soon seen off before the defending male returns to a favourite perch. If no suitable territory can be found, or when there is a large number of males, the male will patrol in search of a mate instead. When a male encounters a receptive female, which has a more laboured flight than the male, she will fall to the ground or a nearby leaf where, after a brief courtship, the pair mate.

Both sexes feed from honeydew, but also take nectar from a variety of plants when honeydew is scarce, such as Ragwort.

Subspecies: tircis


Image location: Bentley Wood Photo © Gwenhwyfar 11-May-2008	Photo © Vince Massimo 17-Aug-2006	Photo © Vince Massimo 08-Jun-2005	Photo © Vince Massimo 13-Jun-2005	Photo © Vince Massimo 27-Apr-2007

Photo © Vince Massimo 23-May-2005	Photo © Pete Eeles 14-Apr-2007	Photo © Pete Eeles 14-Apr-2009	Photo © Pete Eeles 15-Apr-2007	Photo © Pete Eeles 17-Jun-2006

Photo © Pete Eeles 19-Apr-2009	Photo © Pete Eeles 15-Jul-2009	Photo © Clive Burrows

Subspecies: oblita

Subspecies: insula


Photo © Adrian Riley	Photo © Simon Green

	Aberrations

Description to be completed


Photo © Vince Massimo 07-Sep-2005	Photo © Terry Dabner	Photo © Mark Fletcher

	Ovum

The spherical eggs are very light green in colour are laid singly, sometimes in pairs, on the underside of a leaf of the foodplant. It is believed that temperature is a major factor when a female chooses a plant on which to lay. In spring and autumn eggs are laid on plants in more-open positions than those laid in the summer, when more-shaded plants are used. Eggs hatch after 1 to 3 weeks, depending on temperature.


All of my reference books say that Speckled Woods lay eggs singly, but I watched this particular female laying a pair of eggs on each of three visits to the larval foodplant. Photo © Vince Massimo 24-Apr-2009	Photo © Brian Clegg

	Larva

The young larva sits on the underside of the leaf feeding, both day and night, from the leaf edge toward the midrib. Larger larvae will move from plant to plant to feed and, as winter approaches, will rest at the base of the plant. Depending on the temperature and amount of daylight, some larvae will reach pupation, this species being the only butterfly in the British Isles that passes the winter in 2 different stages - as larva and pupa, although it is believed that only 3rd instar larvae are able to successfully overwinter. This stage can be passed in as little as 25 days when the temperature is high. There are 3 or 4 moults in total.


Photo © Pete Eeles 27-Oct-2005	Photo © Pete Eeles 27-Oct-2005

	Pupa

The pupa is formed head down from a grass stem or nearby leaf litter, attached by the cremaster. This stage can be as short as 10 days for those pupae that go on to produce adults in the same year.


Photo © Paul	Photo © Pete Eeles 26-Apr-2006	Photo © Pete Eeles 27-Oct-2005	Photo © Pete Eeles 27-Oct-2005

	Similar Species

No similar species found.

	Videos

No videos are currently available for this species.

	Sites

Click here to see the distribution of this species overlaid with specific site information. Alternatively, select one of the sites listed below.

Rating	Sites
	Chambers Farm Wood, Glenarm, Latterbarrow, Roudsea Wood NNR, Warton Crag
	Midgham Lakes

	Mill Hill

Not rated	Hutton Roof Crags

	Conservation Status

This is one of our few species that is doing well, with a sustained expansion to its range. It is believed that this butterfly has benefited from a reduction in coppicing, resulting in shadier woodland that this butterfly favours. As such, it is not a species of conservation concern.

UK BAP Status	Distribution Trend	Population Trend
Not Listed

From The State of Butterflies in Britain and Ireland and the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UK BAP) (2007 review).

	Links

The following links provide additional information on this butterfly.

	References

The species description provided here has been derived from the author's own observations and the information contained in the following works:

A Natural History of British Butterflies, by F.W.Frohawk.
British and Irish Butterflies, by Adrian M. Riley
South's British Butterflies, by T.G.Howarth (which is based extensively on the classic work, "The Butterflies of the British Isles", by Richard South).
The Butterflies of Britain and Ireland, by Jeremy Thomas and Richard Lewington.
The Millennium Atlas of Butterflies in Britain and Ireland, by Jim Asher, Martin Warren, Richard Fox, Paul Harding, Gail Jeffcoate, Stephen Jeffcoate.
The Moths and Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland Volume 7 (1) Hesperiidae to Nymphalidae (the Butterflies), by A. Maitland Emmet and John Heath (editors).
The State of Butterflies in Britain and Ireland, Richard Fox, Jim Asher, Tom Brereton, David Roy and Martin Warren.