Zoöp Observations: Speckled wood
27 June 2022
The speckled wood (Pararge aegeria) is a butterfly that can be found almost everywhere in the Netherlands. Only a few decades ago one had to go into the forest to see this species; nowadays it can also be spotted in urban parks and gardens. The polygynous males are territorial fighters, sometimes chasing each other up to heights of fifty meters. Females on the other hand mate only once within their lifetime. They can be recognized by the somewhat larger yellow markings and lay their eggs on semi-shaded grasses, such as couch grass, red fescue, meadow grass, blue grass, cock’s-foot, purple moor-grass and white bulb. The speckled wood feeds on nectar, honeydew and sap from bleeding trees. The butterfly can be seen in three overlapping generations from late March to mid-October. Usually the speckled wood overwinters in the caterpillar stage, but the fastest growing caterpillars already pupate before winter.
Artist Frank Bruggeman, in collaboration with researcher and author Peter Zwaal, describes what he sees happening in The New Garden since spring 2022, when the Nieuwe Instituut officially became a zoop. In small vignettes, he outlines the dynamics between plants, animals, walkers, staff and other human and other-than-human presences in the outdoor space around the institute. From the return of the moorhen to the unexpected introduction of the cherry tomato.
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