ORANGE ON CHOCOLATE

The Gatekeeper is also known as the Hedge Brown as it likes shrubs and hedgerows.  'Gatekeeper' maybe because it sometimes basks in gateways where vegetation is low.  The eggs, however, are laid on grasses for the caterpillars to munch.

The above image is of a male, which is easy to tell because of the dark brown 'sex brands' across the forewings.

You might confuse the gatekeeper with the meadow brown, which is larger and duller.  If the butterfly perches with wings folded back, look for two white dots in the black spot on the forewing, or several tiny white dots on the hindwing.  The meadow brown only has one white dot in the black spot and no white dots.

Photos: Alan Watts