Speckled Wood
Understated beauty
True to their name, speckled wood butterflies are commonly found fluttering through shaded woodlands, often where sunlight shines through the trees and creates a dappled effect on the leaves.
Their wings are light brown in colour with pale yellow spots, reminiscent of the pools of sunlight where males tend to perch, keeping watch for intruders. Speckled wood butterflies prefer sheltered woodland areas that are slightly damp with plenty of tall grass and vegetation. Look around Trenoweth on St Mary’s and Rushy Bay on Bryher to spot this understated beauty on the wing.
This butterfly has chocolate-brown wings with creamy-yellow eye spots. There is one black and white eye spot on the forewing and three on the hind. These butterflies are found all over the UK, but show variation in their colouring depending on their geography. Those in the north are dark brown with white spots and those in the south are dark brown with more orange spots. The Isles of Scilly even has it's own subspecies of speckled wood (P. a. insula).
Speckled wood numbers fell in the early 20th century, but have recovered in recent years. They are still threatened by loss of suitable habitats, but are generally doing well. They are one of the most common butterflies on the Isles of Scilly.
Find out more
Scilly is home to some beautiful butterflies and moths, that will be generally on the wing between April and October, but some can be seen almost year round. Look on sunny days around wild, scruffy areas to see what species you can spot, and find out about speckled wood butterflies nationally.
