Pararge aegeria
Wingspan: 47-50 mm
Description
Usually perches with wings open when creamy-yellow patches on dark brown background are distinctive, the patches more extensive on the females. Three spots with black eyes on the patches on the hindwing and another on a patch near the wingtip. Underwings resemble dead leaves. Tolerant of shady places , often frequenting under-managed woods devoid of other species, where it flies in and out of sunny areas, and often two or more spiral around each other.
Flight Period
Triple-brooded, from end of March to mid-May, then June to early October.
Larval Food plants
Various common grasses, including:
False Broom (Brachypodium sylvaticum)
Cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata)
Yorkshire Fog ( Holcus lanatus)
Common Couch (Elytrigia repens)
Habitat
Woods, broad-leaved and mixed.
Mature hedgerows with plenty of trees to provide shade.
Prefers damp areas where the grass grows tall.
Wiltshire Status
Resident, common & widespread.
Wiltshire Sites
Anywhere with sufficient tree growth – all over the county.
Earliest sightings
Earliest county record 24th January 1998
Latest county Record
17th November 2011, Corsham (Alan Carpenter)