Butterflies and Moths

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 Family Orthosiida Moths This is a large family of over thirty species, most of them of rather small size, which make their appearance, with two exceptions, either in early spring or in late autumn, often attracted in the former season by the sallow blossom, and in the latter by ivy bloom. Several of them […]

Lepidoptera The Common Footman Moth – Lithosia Lurideola Fig. 111.-The Common Footman. The fore wings of this species are of a leaden grey, with a bright yellow costal stripe which dwindles to a point just before it reaches the tip. The hind wings are very pale yellow. The larva is black, with a reddish line […]

Lepidoptera Depressaria Nervosa Moth Fig. 237.-Nervosa-Twice Natural Size. The next family-Gelechiida-is represented by the species Nervosa, which is common in many localities. Its fore wings are reddish brown, and are marked by a number of short longitudinal streaks of a darker colour. The hind wings are light grey. The caterpillar is black, marked with black […]

Lepidoptera Family Leucaniida Moths In this family we have a number of rather small moths, with, generally, no markings on their wings, save, perhaps, a few dots or streaks. Their larva feed principally on grasses and reeds, and change to the chrysalis state either in a cocoon among the food plants, or under the surface […]

Lepidoptera The Figure Of Eight Moth – Diloba Caruleocephala Fig. 141.-The Figure of Eight. The fore wings are brownish grey. Near the middle of the wing, but nearer the costa than the inner margin, are two whitish spots that resemble the figure 8. The hind wings are dull brownish grey, with darker wing rays, and […]

Lepidoptera The Willow Beauty Moth – Boarmia Gemmaria Fig. 180.-The Willow Beauty. Our second example of the Boarmiida is the Willow Beauty, the male of which species is here illustrated. Its wings are brownish grey, marked with dark brown lines and streaks. The female is generally larger than the male, and has simple antenna. 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 Rustic Shoulder-knot Moth – Apamea Basilinea Fig. 152.-The Rustic Shoulder knot. The fore wings of this species are pale ochreous grey, with light brown markings; and there is a short dark streak in the middle of the base, from which feature the specific name (Basilinea) is derived. The hind wings are of a […]

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 […]