Stats

Lifespan: A few weeks
Size: Small
Diet: Nectarivore
Activity: Diurnal
Social: Solitary
Biome: Temperate grassland
Range: Europe
Movement: Flight
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Warning colors
Status: Common

About

The Gatekeeper is a small orange-and-brown butterfly common along hedgerows and field margins across Europe, earning its name from a habit of perching near gates and gaps in hedges. Each forewing bears a bold eyespot with two white pupils, a feature that helps distinguish it from similar meadow browns.

Life cycle

1.
egg
A tiny ribbed egg laid on the underside of a host-plant leaf, hatching within days.
2.
caterpillar
A voracious caterpillar feeds and molts through several instars, growing rapidly.
3.
chrysalis
A chrysalis hangs sealed and still while the body remodels into a winged adult.
4.
butterfly
A winged adult with full scales and coloration, ready to fly and mate.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Genus: Pyronia
Species: Pyronia tithonus