Ringlet Butterfly

There are three common, medium-sized brown butterflies in the UK: Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown and Ringlet. From June to the end of August you are likely to see all three fluttering by the QEII nature reserve, though they have slightly different preferred habitats, with the Meadow Brown in grassy areas, Gatekeepers along the hedgerow and Ringlets near the trees.

You might even see a young Ringlet on a cloudy day as its dark brown velvety wings readily absorb warmth from the sunlight, though the wing colour of the older butterflies fades. They feed on the nectar of the pink blackberry flowers and the yellow ragwort, so keep an eye out along the brambles and near the stage.

With a life-cycle of just one year, in the summer the female drops her pale yellow eggs amongst the coarse grasses. The larvae hatch a few weeks later, then hide during the day, waiting until night-time to feed on the grass. After overwintering, the larvae pupate in the spring, before a new adult emerges two weeks later from the chrysalis.

Links to further information and images

First Nature

UK Butterflies

The Woodland Trust