I was on a mission on the 29th July, getting up at 5.30am and going up Fontmell Down to see if I could see some roosting Butterflies, hopefully with dew on them.
I searched with Tilly, my long suffering companion and I wasn’t having any luck at all. I am usually good at spotting things but the little devils must have been hiding themselves well! I was just about to give up and go back to the car when I spotted some ‘good old’ Meadow Brown’s. There was a clump of dried grass and I spotted a few tucked well down the stems, not really looking like Meadow Browns with the dew covering them.
As I was leaving I saw one Meadow Brown fully dry and ready for the day in the early morning sunshine. It wasn’t completely a waste of time and the views up there are incredible and Tilly had her early morning walk so we both enjoyed ourselves.
Marilyn
Your photo of the ‘dried out’ Meadow Brown threw me into confusion. I thought I had finally been able to differentiate berween MBs and Gatekeepers on the basis that the MB has one white spot in the black spot on the wing, whereas the G has two. And your MB has two white spots!
I then googled on how to differentiate and this confirmed what I had thought, except the article went on to say that it is not uncommon for MBs to have two spots and Gs one spot! So it looks like my previous means of differentiation, that the G is much more orange, and is smaller is a better guide. On which basis I agree that you have a Meadow Brown.
Regards
Jack
It does get confusing I am never too sure until they open their wings but as you say the Gatekeeper is smaller.