Butterflies and Moths

Lepidoptera Family Euboliida Moths This is the last family of the Geometra we shall notice, and contains ten species. Most of these are rather pretty moths, and all have the tips of the fore wings more or less pointed. As a rule, too, there is a dark streak running from the very tip of the […]

Lepidoptera The Bright-line Brown-eye Moth – Hadena Oleracea Every collector is sure to meet with this insect during his first season. The moth is abundant everywhere in June, the caterpillar may be found feeding in almost every waste and weedy spot in August and September, and the chrysalis is certain to be turned over by […]

Lepidoptera Family Cossida Moths The members of this family have longer antenna than the Hepialida, and the females are provided with extended ovipositors which enable them to place their eggs in the deep crevices of the bark of trees. The larva are naked or only very slightly hairy, and have a plate on the second […]

Lepidoptera The Wall Butterfly Butterfly – Pararge Megara Belonging to the same genus is another very familiar butterfly -the Wall-which receives its popular title from its peculiar habit of frequently resting on walls and stony banks. It is one of the first, if not the first, to take to the wing in the morning, and […]

Lepidoptera The Currant Moth – Abraxas Grossulariata Fig. 191.-The Currant Moth. The family Zerenida contains only four British moths, and of these we select the Currant Moth or Magpie. This insect is exceedingly common everywhere, and on account of its general brightness of appearance, and also of its diurnal habits, it is often taken for […]

Lepidoptera Crambus Hortuellus Moth This is also an abundant species, to be met with everywhere during June and July. Fig. 222.-Hortuellus. Its fore wings are dull ochreous brown. The wing rays are whitish near the inner margin, and a brown line with a silvery edging crosses near the hind margin. The hind wings are dull […]

Lepidoptera The Swallow Tail Moth – Uropteryx Sambucaria Our first family-Uropterygida-has only one British representative, and that is the well-known Swallow Tail, so common in gardens and among hedgerows in the south of England. This species is shown on Plate XII (fig. 2), and the insect is so readily identified by the conspicuous ‘tails’ on […]

Lepidoptera The Small Mallow Moth – Eubolia Limitata This moth is pretty abundant in waste places from June to August, and is easily obtained by lightly beating the foliage of small bushes and low plants. Fig. 208.-The Small Mallow. Its fore wings are pale brown crossed by a broad central bar, the edges of which […]

Lepidoptera The Frosted Orange Moth – Gortyna Ochracea Fig. 146.-The Frosted Orange. We commence with one of the brightest members of the family, the Frosted Orange. Its fore wings are dark yellow or ochreous, with distinct brown markings, the chief of which are two broad transverse bands. The orbicular spot is pale yellow and very […]

Lepidoptera The Garden Dart Moth – Agrotis Nigricans This is another dingy moth, whose general appearance is so unattractive that the tyro might be inclined to neglect it. But it must not be omitted from our selection on that score, for our main object here is to give the beginner an acquaintance with those species […]