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| UK Status |
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| Resident |
A species which is continually Resident in the UK with stable breeding populations. |
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| Migrant |
A species which occurs as a Migrant in the UK. It may be able to breed here although they are usually unable to survive our winter months. Migrants are normally reported in the UK every year. |
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| Rare Migrant |
A species which occurs as a Rare Migrant in the UK. It may able to breed here although they are usually unable to survive our winter months. Rare Migrants may not be seen for many years. |
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| Extinct |
A species which is Extinct in the UK, usually as a result of habitat loss. |
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| Introduction |
A species which ocurs in the UK as an accidental introduction. |
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Description
In the right habitat the Meadow Brown can be the most abundant butterfly on the wing. They are often seen in large numbers feeding on Bramble alongside other grassland species such as the Gatekeeper and Ringlet. Like the Ringlet the Meadow Brown will also fly in dull weather... even when its spotting with rain... when most other butterfly species are inactive.
The Meadow Brown has many regional variations with various distinctively different spots on the wings. In Ireland and northern Scotland the Meadow Brown is larger in size to its southern counterparts.
Habitat
The Meadow Brown occurs in a wide variety of grassland habitats such as downland heathland coastal dunes meadows roadside verges, hedgerows, woodland rides and clearings. It will also occur in urban habitats such as parks, large gardens, and cemeteries where grassy areas are left to grow tall.
Meadow Browns like all other grassland butterfly species do not form breeding colonies on roadside verges or other grassy areas if they are regularly mown as this reduces the number of grass species, favours the stronger coarser grasses and removed vital nectar sources.
Larval Food Plants
The primary larval foodplants of the Meadow Brown are fine grasses such as Bents (Agrostis spp.) Fescues (Festuca spp.) and meadow-grasses (Poa spp.).
Some coarser grasses are also used including False Brome (Brachypodium sylvaticum) Cock's-foot (Dactylis glomerata) and Downy Oat-grass (Helictotrichon pubescens). However the Meadow Brown larvae may also feed on an even wider variety of grass species.
British Subspecies
The following sub-species of the Meadow Brown occur in the UK.
 Meadow Brown - Maniola jurtina cassiteridum (Graves, 1930) - Occurs in the Isles of Scilly only.
Meadow Brown - Maniola jurtina iernes (Graves, 1930) - Occurs in in Ireland.The forewings of this subspecies sometimes has more spots. It is the largest of the subspecies which occurs in Britain.
Meadow Brown - Maniola jurtina insularis (Thompson, 1969) - Occurs in England and Wales.
Meadow Brown - Maniola jurtina splendida (White, 1871) - Occurs in north-west Scotland and the Isle of Man.
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| Stock Photography Library |
| We have 11 photographs of the Meadow Brown in the British Butterflies photo library |
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BB1923 - Meadow Brown
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BB1663 - Meadow Brown
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BB905 - Meadow Brown
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BB904 - Meadow Brown
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BB903 - Meadow Brown
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BB783 - Meadow Brown
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BB466 - Meadow Brown
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BB443 - Meadow Brown
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| Distribution |
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| The Meadow Brown is one of our most common and widespread grassland species. It occurs where a variety and plentiful supply of grass species occur. Many colonies have been lost as a result of agricultural intensification over the last 20 years. |
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| Where to see the Meadow Brown |
| The Meadow Brown is one of our most common and widespread grassland species. It occurs where a variety and plentiful supply of grass species occur. Many colonies have been lost as a result of agricultural intensification over the last 20 years. |
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| Population Trends |
| species status |
the Meadow Brown is a resident species in Britain |
| population trend1 |
(1995-2004)  down by -5% |
(1976-2004)  up by 28% |
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1Fox, R., Asher. J., Brereton. T., Roy, D & Warren, M.
(2006) The State of Butterflies in Britain & Ireland, Pices, Oxford. |
| UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) Status |
| UK BAP status2 |
not listed (link) |
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| 2 For more information about the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) species status, visit www.ukbap.org.uk. |
| IUCN Category Status |
| IUCN category3 |
 least concern4 |
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3 Fox, R., Warren, M & Brereton, T.
(2007) New Red List of British Butterflies. Butterfly Conservation, Wareham.
4 More information about IUCN categories available here. |
| Find Out More Online* |
| More information about the Meadow Brown can be found on Peter Eeles excellent UK Butterflies web site. |
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Aberrations and Forms |
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| We currently know of 15 named aberrant forms of the Meadow Brown. More information about aberrants can be found here. |
 ab. addenda - Mousley (1903) |
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| ab. alba - Blackie (1920) |
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| ab. anommata - Verity (1904) |
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| ab. anticrassipuncta - Leeds (1950) |
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| ab. antiparvipuncta - Leeds (1950) |
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| ab. cinerea - Cosmovici (1892) |
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| ab. grisea-aurea - Oberthür (1909) |
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| ab. minor - Leeds (1950) |
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| ab. nigrianira - Johnstone (1941) |
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| ab. postatrescens - Leeds (1950) |
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| ab. postaurolancea - Leeds (1950) |
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| ab. postfulvosa - Leeds (1950) |
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| ab. postmultifidus - Lipscomb (1980) |
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| ab. radiata - Frohawk (1938) |
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| ab. wauteiri - Lambillion (1905) |
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| References |
| The information on this web site comes from a variety of freely available resources including books, academic reports and web sites alongside my own personal observations of butterflies. The species descriptions are currently in the process of being edited (spring 2009) to include new data, recent personal observations and referencing following a major update to the site.
A complete list of references mentioned in the text on this web site is available here. |
| * External Links Disclaimer |
| This web site includes links to information provided by external web sites which are not in any way under the control of www.britishbutterflies.co.uk. We cannot, therefore, be held responsible for the content of external web pages. |
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40-60mm
