Butterfly ID
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Field guide · Norway
Brush-footed butterflies · Norway

Speckled wood

Pararge aegeria

Speckled wood prefers woodland habitats and rarely ventures into completely open areas. It can be distinguished from all other North European species by the fact that the upperside of its wings is scattered with light spots, a characteristic particularly evident in the Norwegian subspecies, which is cream-coloured.

Status in this countryCommon in NorwayLC (Least concern)
Speckled wood

Flight period

Flying in forests, especially pine forests, in May–June, with a new generation in July–August. In Norway, the second generation can be quite small.

Habitat

Forest, especially fir forests, around small clearings. It rarely extends into completely open areas.

Identifying features

Medium-sized moth with a wingspan of 33–43 mm and relatively slender wings. The outer edge of the wings is clearly wavy. It can be distinguished from all other north European species by the light spots scattered on the upper side of the wings; in the subspecies found in Norway, these are cream-white, while more southern subspecies are more yellow. It has an eye spot at the tip of the forewing and three–four along the edge of the hindwing. The underside of the forewing is yellowish-brown with a darker edge; the underside of the hindwing is mottled yellowish-brown. Eye spots on the underside, as on the upper side, are less distinct on the hindwing.

Similar species

It can be distinguished from all other north European species by the light spots on the wing’s upper side; misidentification is unlikely.

Distribution

The spread in Norway is not described in more detail in the examined sources.

Biology

The males compete for sunlit patches and fiercely defend them, but it has been shown that the male who held the patch originally almost always wins. The larvae live on heather vines (Melica uniflora) and dog grass (Dactylis glomerata).