Browns

The satyridae or browns are a family of butterflies that are primarily brown or yellow, with exception of the marbled white. They sport eyespots, a defensive mechanism. These eyespots may confuse predators that will launch their attack directly at the spots, allowing the butterfly to survive, just suffering the indignity of a torn wing. The foodplant of all the browns include grasses.

   Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus

   Small Heath Coenonympha pamphilus  

   Grayling Hipparchia semele

   Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria

   Marbled White Melanargia galathea

   Wall Brown Lasiommata megera

   Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina

   Ringlet Aphantos hyperantus

Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus  

An extremely common butterfly found in large numbers on Cornish cliffs. It is frequently known by two other common names the small meadow brown and hedge brown. The butterfly is often seen feeding at bramble and ragwort flowers.

The upperside is orange fringed by brown. There is great variation in colour, pattern and size. The female tends to be larger. The male has dark areas on the forewings. Both sexes have a double pupiled eyespot on the forewings.

Gatekeepers have a single brood. The eggs being laid on their foodplants grasses. They overwinter as caterpillars.

Photograph by Alan Griffiths

Grayling Hipparchia semele  

The Grayling is the largest butterfly of the brown family found in Cornwall. It prefers to live near the coast.

Graylings are primarily brown with orange and yellow bands. On the upperside there are two eyespots on the forewings and a smaller one on the hindwings.

The undersides of the hindwings are a mottled brown. These are pulled up over the forewings when the butterfly is at rest, providing good camouflage.

Photograph by Alan Griffiths

Graylings have a single brood. The caterpillars’ foodplants are finer grasses such as hair grass. They overwinter as caterpillars.

Marbled White Melanargia galathea

The marbled white has a distinctive black and white pattern, nevertheless it is one of the brown butterfly family.

The males and females are very alike on the upperside. The markings are paler on the undersides, with the female the white has a yellowish tinge.

Marble whites have a single brood. The eggs are not laid onto the foodplant but dropped as the female flies. The caterpillars’ main foodplant is red frescu. They overwinter as caterpillars.

Photograph by Alan Griffiths

These butterflies are found in Cornwall but mainly in the north of the county.

Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina

The meadow brown is an extremely common species. Both sexes have an eyespot on the forewing.

The eyespot is more prominent in the female and is surrounded by an orange / yellow band.

The males' uppersides are mainly brown, whilst the females have varying degrees of orange and yellow patches on the forewings.

Photograph by Alan Griffiths

Meadow browns have a single brood. The caterpillars’ main foodplants are grasses. They overwinter as caterpillars

Ringlet Aphantos hyperantus

The ringlet’s colour varies from light to dark brown with the males tending to be the darkest. The wings have a light fringe.

There are ringed eye markings on both the underside and upperside, from which it get its common name.

There is a single brood. The eggs are not laid onto the foodplant but dropped as the female flies. Their foodplants are grasses. They overwinter as caterpillars.

Photograph by Alan Griffiths

Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria

The sexes in the speckled wood look very similar. They are dark brown butterflies with whitish yellow spots. The forewings each have a single eyespot, the hindwings three. The hindwings' edges are scalloped.

They are often seen flying jerkily near wooded areas. Treetops are where the adults feed on honeydew produced by aphids. They have two broods. The caterpillars’ foodplants are grasses. Over wintering can be as pupae or caterpillar.

Wall Brown Lasiommata megera

The upperside of this butterfly is orange, with brown bands and edging. With only a quick glance they can be confused as a species of fritillary.

Each forewing has an eyespot with several on their hindwings.

The forewings' underside is similar to its upperside but the hindwings are different, being a patterned greyish brown with several eyespots.

Photograph by Alan Griffiths

Both sexes are similar the male has additional dark patches on the forewings. There are two broods. Their foodplants are grasses. They overwinter as caterpillars.

The wall brown flies in strong sunlight and is partial to basking on walls, hence the name.

Small Heath Coenonympha pamphilus

Both sexes of the small heath are similar. The uppersides are orange, bordered by brown and edged with grey, with an eyespot on the forewing. The underside of the forewings are bright orange with an eyespot, the rear wings a drab brown and grey with several brown eyespots.

There are usually two overlapping broods. Their foodplants are grasses. Small heaths overwinter as caterpillars.