Butterflies and Moths

Lepidoptera The Peach Blossom Moth – Thyatira Batis Fig. 136.-The Peach Blossom. The popular name of this pretty little moth is given on account of the resemblance of the pink patches of its olive-brown fore wings to the petals of the peach flower. It is a moderately common moth, widely distributed in England and Ireland, […]

Lepidoptera The Blue-bordered Carpet Moth – Melanthia Bicolorata This same family (Larentiida) is remarkable for its large number of pretty moths, popularly known as the ‘Carpets,’ many of which are exceedingly common in our woods and gardens. Fig. 201.-The Blue-bordered Carpet. Our first example of these is the Blue-bordered, which is pretty well represented in […]

Lepidoptera Alucita Hexadactyla Moth Our last example of the Pterophori is the Twelve-plume Moth, the only British representative of the family Alucitida. Fig. 218.-Hexadactyla-Enlarged. This little insect is of a yellowish colour, with two dark bands across the fore wings; and both fore and hind wings are divided into six distinct feathers. It is a […]

Lepidoptera The Red Underwing Moth – Catocala Nupta Fig. 176.-The Red Underwing. The other three members of the family are very similar in appearance, the fore wings of all being marbled with shades of grey, relieved by touches of black and brown; and the hind wings, red or crimson, give the popular names to the […]

Lepidoptera The Large Blue Butterfly – Lycana Arion The last of our Blues is the largest of the genus, and is, with the exception of Semiargus, the rarest. It is a very local insect, appearing in small numbers, during June and July, in parts of South Devon, Gloucestershire, Northamptonshire, and a few other counties. Fig. […]

Lepidoptera The Small Skipper Butterfly – Hesperia Thaumas In briefly describing the various British butterflies no mention has been made, except in a few cases, of the shape of the wings, this matter having been left to the reader’s own observations of our illustrations. We will, however, call attention to the somewhat square-cut form of […]

Lepidoptera The Yellow-horned Moth – Asphalia Flavicornis This is one of the earliest of our moths, appearing on the wing in March, when it may be attracted by means of sugar placed on the bark of the birch (Betula alba). Fig. 137.-The Yellow-horned. The wings are grey, with a decidedly greenish tinge, crossed by three […]

Lepidoptera The Heath Fritillary Butterfly – Melitaa Athalia Both the upper and under sides of this butterfly are shown on Plate III (figs. 5 and 6), and it will be observed from these that its general appearance is very similar to that of Cinxia. The upper surface is of the same tawny brown, barred and […]

Lepidoptera The Small Heath Butterfly – Canonympha Pamphilus The last member of the family Satyrida is the well-known Small Heath, that may be seen almost all over the British Isles on heaths, meadows and moors, from May to September. The upper surface of this butterfly (Plate VI, fig. 2) is a tawny yellow, with a […]

Lepidoptera Facts Catching Butterflies And Moths It is not at all surprising that entomology should prove such a fascinating study to the young, and more especially that portion which deals with the department we are now considering. Butterflies and moths are among the most beautiful and most interesting of living creatures. The study of their […]