Butterflies

Lepidoptera The Glanville Fritillary Butterfly – Melitaa Cinxia The pattern of the upper side of this Fritillary (Plate III, fig. 4) is very similar to that of Aurinia, but the ground colour is a uniform tawny brown, and the fringes of the wings are of a very pale straw colour, barred with black. Fig. 74.-The […]

Lepidoptera The Small Copper Butterfly – Polyommatus Phlaas The only other British member of the genus Polyommatus-the Small Copper-is one of the commonest of our butterflies. It may be found in nearly all parts of the British Isles from April to September, more particularly in April, June, and August, for it is apparently triple brooded. […]

Lepidoptera The Brown Argus Butterfly – Lycana Astrarche Neither male nor female of this species exhibits any trace of blue. The upper surface, shown in fig. 13 of Plate VI, is coloured with a warm brown, and all four wings have a row of orange spots near the hind margin. The fore wings have also […]

Lepidoptera The Brimstone Butterfly – Gonopteryx Rhamni This, the last member of the present family, is remarkable for the graceful outline of its wings. The costal margins of the fore pair are most beautifully arched, and both pairs are sharply angled on the hind margins. This latter characteristic is quite unique among British butterflies, though […]

Lepidoptera The White Admiral Butterfly – Limenitis Sibylla The White Admiral (Plate IV, fig. 5) is neither so pretty nor so common as its red namesake, but it is nevertheless a fine insect, although the chief beauty is reserved for the under surface. Above, the ground colour is a very dark rusty brown, relieved by […]

Lepidoptera The Lulworth Skipper Butterfly – Hesperia Actaon Although this species is somewhat similar to the two preceding, it may be readily distinguished by the heavy clouding of dull greenish brown that almost covers the wings. The male, which is shown in fig. 14 of Plate VII, has a black streak across the fore wings, […]

Lepidoptera The Dark-green Fritillary Butterfly – Argynnis Aglaia This butterfly is larger than Latona, as will be seen by reference to Plate II, fig. 8. Its colour is, as usual with the Fritillaries, a tawny brown with black markings. The female is usually larger than the male, and she is further distinguished by the ground […]

Lepidoptera The Small White Butterfly – P. Rapa This butterfly closely resembles the last species except in point of size. The male, represented on Plate I (fig. 4), has a dark grey blotch at the tip of each fore wing, a round spot of the same colour beyond the centre of that wing, and another […]

Lepidoptera The Duke Of Burgundy Butterfly – Nemeobius Lucina The family Erycinida has only one British representative, commonly known as the Duke of Burgundy Fritillary, but although this butterfly certainly resembles the Fritillaries in general appearance (see figs. 9 and 10 of Plate VII), its habits and life history present many points of difference from […]

Lepidoptera The Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary Butterfly – Argynnis Selene The interesting group of butterflies known as the Fritillaries vary considerably in size, but are remarkably uniform in the ground colour of the wings, which, in all cases, is a rich golden or sienna brown; and this ground is chequered with darker colours in such a […]