They are both speckled wood butterflies. The one with the white spots I photographed in my own garden here in Sussex. The one with the deep orange spots I photographed in my son's garden in Portugal.

The Sussex one is identified by the latin name Pararge aegeria tircis. The southern race is called P.a.aegeria. In other words, it is sort of centred about the Aegian.

It is much darker, but behaves much the same as ours. You will find them in that dappled shade around the edges of woodland. The dots on the wings almost resemble the dappled back of the fallow deer or the roe deer kid before winter moult.

I think they are gorgeous with all that cryptic pattern which makes them vanish when they go up to roost. And they are such a faithful butterfly to one particular place.

For 32 years I have recorded butterflies on a weekly transect walk of five miles and the speckled wood always turns up dead on cue for time and place.

I can be almost certain to see one basking on that little sunny patch of path near the gate as I can one next to my chair on the flagstones at tea time throughout the summer.


For full feature see West Sussex Gazette July 23