The speckled wood is a medium-sized butterfly [wingspan 35–45 mm] found in and on the borders of woodland throughout much of Europe. It has brown wings with creamy-yellow spots and numerous eye-spots. The undersides are patterned orange, yellow and brown. Females are larger than males but, otherwise, the two sexes are similar in appearance.
One can often see males perched in pools of sunlight. They are territorial and will fight off other intruding males by taking quickly to the air and engage it in a fight.
The mid-air fight involves spiraling round and round the intruder until it’s driven away. It is believed that the males have one wing slightly smaller than the other, in order to perform this spiraling maneuver more skillfully. The butterfly that claimed the territory first usually wins.