"Dancing "butterflies

[fredpuli47]

What's the species of British butterfly that is small, brownish, and is seen now in dancing pairs? There's always two, they are in sunlit woodland glades and above paths between high shrubs here (East Anglia). I'm pretty sure that I read somewhere that these 'pairs' are , in fact, rival males 'fighting' over territory.

[Buenchico]

They're possibly Meadow Browns:
http://www.britishbutterflies.co.uk/asp/specie s.asp?vernacular=Meadow%20Brown

Other possibilities should be among those listed here:
http://www.britishbutterflies.co.uk/asp/region -eastern-england.asp

Chris

PS: If you want to see a good range of butterflies, in East Anglia, head to Needham Market lake. I saw loads of species there earlier this week (including the Holly Blue and the beautiful Orange Tip).

[GSDfan22]

Speckled wood's behave in this way. They are brown with small cream marks on them. They are around for most of the summer month. Meadow browns are brown with a dull orange mark on the wings. they come out mostly in july.

[fredpuli47]

Thanks GSDfan22. That's definitely the one.Everything about the speckled brown, in the site given by Buenchico, fits viz. habitat, food, time of flying, and, above all, behaviour.