Butterflies

Lepidoptera The Clifden Blue Butterfly – Lycana Bellargus Our coloured representations of this beautiful blue (Plate VI, figs. 17 and 18) show that here also there is a great difference between the male and female. The former is a most lovely and brilliant sky blue, bordered by a fine black line; and the latter is […]

Lepidoptera The Mazarine Blue Butterfly – Lycana Semiargus Fig. 93.-The Mazarine Blue-Under Side. The male (Plate VII, fig. 5) is deep purple blue, with a narrow dark-brown border, and the female (fig. 6 of the same plate) dark brown. The under side of both sexes is light greyish-brown or drab, with a row of black […]

Lepidoptera The Brown Hairstreak Butterfly – Thecla Betula The five Hairstreaks which constitute the genus Thecla are all pretty insects, characterised by hair-like streaks on the under surface. Fig. 83.-The Brown Hairstreak-Male. Betula is the largest of these. Its upper surface is of a deep brown colour, with orange-brown marks at the anal angles of […]

Lepidoptera The Comma Butterfly – Vanessa C-album Leaving the Fritillaries, we now come to a genus (Vanessa) that includes seven most beautiful butterflies, some of which are so common as to be known to almost everybody. It will be observed that this genus belongs to the same family as the Fritillaries, and we may therefore […]

Lepidoptera The Purple Emperor Butterfly – Apatura Iris This grand insect is the only British member of its family, and richly deserves its popular title. The male, which is figured on Plate V (fig. 1), exhibits a most gorgeous imperial purple, which is reflected at certain angles only from the upper surface of his large […]

Lepidoptera The Grayling Butterfly – Satyrus Semele The Grayling is the largest of our ‘Browns,’ and, although a powerful flier, it seldom takes long flights. The female, which is shown in fig. 7, Plate V, is really a beautiful creature, the light markings of which stand out in bold contrast with the deep brown ground […]

Lepidoptera The Greasy Fritillary Butterfly – Melitaa Aurinia Unlike the other Fritillaries, this species (Plate III, fig. 3) exhibits a variety of shades on the upper surface. A broad band of sienna brown stretches across each wing, near to and parallel with the hind margin. The other parts of the wings are marked with patches […]

Lepidoptera The Marsh Ringlet Butterfly – Canonympha Typhon Fig. 82.-The Marsh Ringlet-Under Side. The upper surface of this butterfly is shown in the first figure of Plate VI, and the under side in the accompanying woodcut; but it must be remembered that the species is a very variable one, so much so that it is […]

Lepidoptera The Purple Hairstreak Butterfly – Thecla Quercus Fig. 85.-The Purple Hairstreak-Male. This pretty butterfly, by far the commonest of the Hairstreaks, though comparatively very small, reminds one forcibly of the noble Purple Emperor. Its haunts are the same oak woods, and its upper surface, though only a dull dark brown in certain lights, exhibits […]

Lepidoptera The Painted Lady Butterfly – Vanessa Cardui Although the time of appearance of this butterfly generally corresponds with that of the last species, yet it is exceedingly variable, so much so that it is impossible to give any fixed period as its season. It is, moreover, very capricious with regard to its localities and […]