PARARGE aegeria

Speckled Wood
Butterfly

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Classification:

Phylum:

Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class: Insecta (Insects)
Subclass: Pterygota (Winged Insects)
Order: Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Sub-Order: Rhopalocera (Butterflies)
Family: Satyridae (Browns)
Genus: Pararge
Species: aegeria
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Pararge aegeria

The Speckled Wood butterfly is a medium-sized British butterfly, flying fairly low in gardens and woodland. The wings are soft dark brown with pale yellow spots, some of which have white centres, and pale yellow scalloped lower edges. It often settles with its wings open on low vegetation.

The Speckled Wood butterfly feeds on honeydew produced by aphids.

The caterpillar of the Speckled Wood is light green with darker lines, and the food plants are mainly grasses. It is the only British butterfly which can overwinter in the larval stage, or as a pupa.

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