Hertfordshire & Middlesex Branch
Saving butterflies, moths and our environment
_100713_DM_43.jpg "Meadow Brown (m) 2013 - Dave Miller")
%20Norton%20Green%2029Jun15_43.jpg "Meadow Brown (f) 2015 - Peter Clarke")
Meadow BrownManiola jurtinaWidespread and common 
Distribution and Status The Meadow Brown is widely distributed and common in the two counties. It was apparently absent in parts of eastern Middlesex in the 1980s but reports of its occurrence in the Tower Hamlets area, for instance, in the last few years, are good signs. Abundance across the region has suffered a significant decline since the 1980s which may be attributed to pesticide spraying on field margins, for example, or the introduction of neonicotinoid insecticides Habitat Requirements Most types of grassland except on the very shortest turf Larval Foodplants Smooth-stalked Meadow Grass Poa pratensis seems to be the principal foodplant. Other main foodplants include Bent Agrostis sp., Cock's-foot Dactylis glomerata, Common Couch Elytrigia repens, Fescue Festuca spp and Wood Meadow Grass Poa nemoralis Adult Food Sources Buddleia Buddleja davidii, Creeping Thistle Cirsium arvense, Common Ragwort Senecio jacobea Behaviour/Observation notes Males usually emerge days earlier than females and for both sexes they emerge earlier in warm open situations than on hedgerows and edges of woodland. Where found, they are very conspicuous and easy to photograph. Females can be confused with female Gatekeepers; see differences in the account for the Gatekeeper. Males on the other hand, can look like Ringlets at a distance especially with faded specimens although for experienced observers the floppier flight of the Ringlet is characteristic 
Life History A single generation is produced per year. Numbers peak in the middle of July but the flight season is very long, due to varying rates of larval development in the spring, so quite a few individuals can often be seen in September. It is possible that females aestivate in very hot weather as occurs in southern Europe but there is no clear evidence of this in the UK. Eggs are laid singly or just simply dropped into the vegetation. Larvae feed on the grasses and overwinter until the spring when they pupate low amongst the vegetation suspended on a stem Further information
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