Gatekeeper Ab.

[Rogerdodge]

Hi
Something made me go out into the garden to investigate this Gatekeepr.
Glad I did.
She is as strange a Gatekeeper I have ever seen.
Shame-
a/ I didn't get to see her a few days ago when fresher, and
b/ She didn't settle somewhere a little more picturesque before flitting over next door's fence.

[Lee Hurrell]

Crikey - that's the strangest Gatekeeper I've ever seen!

Cheers

Lee

[Wurzel]

Alright Rodge? It is certainly a cracker and one I would like in my personal collection of aberrant Gatekeepers!
I asked about unsual forms of Gatekeeper a while back and Pete was very kind in letting me have a whole book and a half of info and judging from that I would class it as multiocellata as it has those extra pupilled spots under the usual apical spots.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Ps did I just have a go at identifying something - crickey I might just be geting the hang of this - that is until until someone else corrects me

[David M]

The bulbous white spot on the hindwing is particularly impressive.

[lee3764]

Yep, I agree...ab: 'multiocellata'. We get them once or twice a year here in Cornwall which seems more frequent than nationally! Lovely specimen anyway!!
Cheers,
Lee Slaughter.

[Padfield]

That's a really interesting butterfly, Roger. I haven't come across that form before, so I'm also interested in Lee S's comment.

Sadly, we don't have gatekeepers here in CH so I can't keep my eyes peeled for this - I have to make do with a brief week of them when I visit my parents in Suffolk.

Guy

[David M]

Sadly, we don't have gatekeepers here in CH

Not even at lower levels, Guy?

[Padfield]

Nope. They occur in the canton of Geneva, near the French border, in the Ticino (which is like a different country) and in the north Jura, also near the French border. In Vaud, Valais, Bern and indeed most of the country they are mysteriously absent.

It's nothing to do with the mountains - they fly comonly in the Pyrenees at 1000m.

Back to Roger's megafind!

Guy

[NickB]

Sadly, we don't have gatekeepers here in CH

Not even at lower levels, Guy?

(Roger - Nice one )
Ahem - and Roger should remember this - I must re-quote the story of LOTSW in the Rhone Valley, where Paul casually said to me, "Isn't that a Gatekeeper?"...pointing at a brown butterfly nearby. I took a quick glance..."Yep; looks like a Gatekeeper"...and then we both left it, not knowing it was not supposed to be there, if indeed it was a Gatekeeper....so no photo. Of course, we mentioned this to Guy, who immediately ran back with us to where it had been; it was nowhere to be seen...
Now I am prepared to say that is was only a cursory glance - but what I saw did indeed conform to a Gatekeeper, given that as the initial ID by Paul - but without a picture and Guy's confirmation, it will remain a mystery to us all.....
The only other conclusion would have to be that they are present in the Rhone Valley in July when we visited, and we did see one, even if it isn't supposed to be there....
N
BTW - Did you shoot it in RAW...?

[Dave McCormick]

Blimey, a new species of Erebia! Nice gatekeeper ab, strange indeed, nice image. Be nice if we had gatekeepers, but they are restricted to the Southern tip of Ireland for some reason.

[essexbuzzard]

Nice photo roge-i've never seen one like this before!
Stone me-we actually get someting Guy doesn't get?! I thought he got everything in CH!
Dave,Gatekeepers are spreading-they may be knocking at your door in Co. Down before too long!
Cheers all

[Rogerdodge]

Mark
She actually delayed me setting off for BirdFair. I had loaded the van and was just finishing a cup of tea before setting off when I saw her in the garden. Normally I would have just acknowledged a Gatekeeper in the garden, and carried on.
However this time something made me pop out to have a look, and then I had to run back in and dig out the camera.
You would have loved BirdFair. We saw seven people fom our trip. It was great reminiscing.

[Dave McCormick]

Dave,Gatekeepers are spreading-they may be knocking at your door in Co. Down before too long!

Nah, I doubt it, they have never moved passed the south end of Ireland, no one knows why, so if they suddenly did move north, that would be something great. Different in England though, they have been spreading. Guess there is something here we are not seeing as to why they stick to the small areas they do in Ireland.