Dappled

This isn't the first Speckled Wood I've seen this year, but it's the first that's been prepared to sit still while I photographed it. That said, it waggled its wings irritably at me as I approached, in a passive-aggressive snit that I thought might end in huffy departure (butterfly) and tears (me). Luckily though, this didn't happen - possibly because it was a far colder day than the strong light here might lead you to believe.

Speckled Woods favour woodland habitats, as the name suggests, and especially the kind of dappled glades that are mimicked by parts of my garden, where their blotchy markings act as effective camouflage. Males are highly territorial, and while they favour perching in a carefully selected sunny spot to wait and watch for the arrival of a female, they will defend this vantage point fiercely from any rival who strays too close. Males will mate more than once, given the chance, but most females mate only once, so competition for their favours is keen.

The Speckled Wood can be found between March and October, though individual butterflies live only a few weeks; it goes through two or three generations per year, depending on the weather. Uniquely, the final generation can overwinter at either the larval or the pupal stage. Early and late in the season the adults take nectar from a range of flowers, but in the middle of summer they mostly feed on honeydew from the surface of leaves. The larvae feed on a range of grasses.

This is one of the few British butterflies that's currently doing well, its numbers having increased by over 80% during the past fifty years. It's thought that this success, and an equally dramatic increase in its distribution, are largely attributable to the warming climate.