I always knew this delightful little butterfly as the hedge brown; it is a member of the 'brown' family and is often found along hedgerows, especially hedges with brambles present. With name standardisation it is now known as the gatekeeper and I think that is a much more interesting name than the rather dull hedge brown.
The gatekeeper is found in a wide range of habitats, not just hedgerows. You will find it along sunny woodland rides, in parks and gardens, on sea cliffs, scrubby grasslands and even heath. Whist they adore bramble they are happy on almost any nectar bearing flower including thistles and ragwort and in our garden they have a particular passion for marjoram.
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