Butterflies and Moths

Lepidoptera The Queen Of Spain Fritillary Butterfly – Argynnis Latona We now pass from the commonest to the rarest and most prized of our wood butterflies-The Queen of Spain (Plate II, fig. 7). This royal personage is not easily mistaken for any of the meaner Fritillaries even when the upper surface only is examined, as […]

Lepidoptera The Small Blue Butterfly – Lycana Minima Fig. 94.-The Small Blue-Under Side. We now come to the smallest of all British butterflies-a little insect that measures less than one inch from tip to tip when its wings are expanded. Its upper surface is of a dull and dark-brown colour, the bases of the wings […]

Lepidoptera The Dot Moth – Mamestra Persicaria Fig. 151.-The Dot. The conspicuous white reniform spot on the very dark marbled fore wings is always sufficient for the identification of this species. This moth is out in June and July; and during the latter month lays its eggs on the elder (Sambucus nigra), and the various […]

Lepidoptera The Chinese Character Moth – Cilix Glaucata Fig. 130.-The Chinese Character. The fore wings of this species are white, with a broad dark blotch from the inner margin to near the costa. The central portion of this blotch is marked with silvery spots which are said to resemble Chinese characters. The hind margin is […]

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 Flame Moth – Axylia Putris This also is a pretty insect, but much smaller than Ochracea. It is common in most parts, and may be seen flying in weedy and waste grounds at dusk during June and July. Fig. 147.-The Flame. The fore wings are pale pinkish brown, with dark brown along the […]

Lepidoptera Sciaphila Octomaculana Moth Our single example of the family Sciaphilida is the species Octomaculana, which, though not very abundant, is widely distributed, and moderately common in parts. Fig. 230.-Octomaculana-Enlarged. Its fore wings are white, dusted with grey, and each is marked with four dark grey patches which have given rise to its specific name-a […]

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 Hornet Clearwing Of The Poplar Moth – Trochilium Apiformis We can find space for a mention of only two of the clearwings, the first of which is an insect that closely resembles the dreaded hornet, and whose larva feeds in the stems of poplars-features which will account for the above name. Fig. 103.-The […]

Lepidoptera Hyponomeuta Padellus Moth The family Hyponomeutida contains about twenty insects, some of which are very common and exceedingly destructive to our trees. In May and June hawthorn and fruit trees may be seen swarming with the gregarious larva of some of them, and almost entirely stripped of their leaves. Fig. 236.-Padellus. The species here […]