Will they visit?: Common Brown Butterflies frequently visit home gardens
Natural Distribution: Common and widespread throughout the South West and Perth region
Heteronympha merope (Male) – Bryce (CC BY-NC 4.0). Atlas of Living Australia
Heteronympha merope (Female) – Deb Oliver (CC BY-NC 4.0). Atlas of Living Australia
Heteronympha merope (Males) – Geoffrey Cox (CC BY-NC 4.0). Atlas of Living Australia
Habitat at a Glance
See Habitat Guide for more detail
Shelter: Sunny positions around the garden, grasses for aestivation
Diet: Adults feed on nectar, caterpillars feed on grasses
Water: Not required
ReWild Benefit: Pollinator
Habitat Guide - Shelter
Natural Shelter
Common Brown Butterflies are often seen flying close to the ground and sunning themselves on rocks, sandy ground, or on logs within the garden. Caterpillars rely on camouflage and live within the tussock of clumping grasses.
Female Common Brown Butterflies can live for a long time. During summer the female butterflies can aestivate for several months until the weather begins to cool. During this time, they shelter in the tussocks of native grasses.
Novel Shelter
Not required.
Habitat Guide - Food and Water
Providing natural sources of food
The caterpillars are not particularly choosy about their food and will eat both native and introduced grasses. The adults feed on an array of different flowering plants and are not particularly fussy.
Avoid commercial non-native seeds advertised for butterflies. These plants are usually unsuitable for our native butterflies to breed on – and have the potential to become serious weeds.
Providing sources of water
Not required.
ReWild Benefits
Common Brown Butterflies are pollinators and help connect biodiversity across the landscape. If you see them around your garden, you can record your sighting on Atlas of Living Australia!
