Ever since I was a young boy, I've enjoyed watching butterflies. Whether lazily flitting along the bank of a river, or perched warily among flowers in a garden, they've always aroused my curiousity.
I often marvelled at their acrobatic courtship displays and their agility, and I'm still amazed that such gaily coloured insects have managed to evolve without being driven to extinction by birds and other predators.
After a cold and dark winter, I'm at my happiest when I see the first butterfly of the year, because I know that Spring is finally here.
I hope that after reading this article you will find the world of butterflies as interesting as I do. If you want to get involved with butterfly conservation and monitoring, or you'd simply like to learn more, I've included some useful links at the end of the article for you to visit.
I intend to record the various species of butterfly observed throughout the year in the county of Suffolk. Due to the dynamic nature of the subject, I will update this article with photographs of new species when they are seen.
Butterflies are Insects belonging to the order Lepidoptera, which basically means "Scale Wing". As is common with all lepidoptera, they have a four stage life-cycle:
- egg
- larva/caterpillar
- pupa/chrysalis
- imago/adult
Larvae, or caterpillars, are the second stage in a butterflies life-cycle and are frequently observed amongst the host-plants. They consume an enormous amount of plant material and spend the majority of their time searching for food. During this period, the caterpillar matures through a series of stages, called instars. At the end of each instar, the skin is moulted and promptly replaced by a new one.
When the larva is fully grown, it transforms into a pupa by anchoring itself to a suitable surface and moulting its skin for the last time.
The mature, adult insect, is known as the imago. It has the following characteristics:
A - Forewing B - Antenna C - Compound eye D - Proboscis
E - Thorax F - Leg G- Abdomen H - Hindwing I - Tail
(image courtesy of Wikipedia)
At this point, I'll introduce some of the species that I've observed throughout the year in Suffolk.
Brimstone - Gonepteryx rhamni
The Brimstone is often seen from March to late October. The male is yellow, the female is pale green or delicate yellow, it usually rests with its wings together. This specimen was photographed feeding on a Buddleia bush in my garden. Note the perfectly camouflaged undersides which mimic a leaf.
Comma - Polygonia c-album
The Comma can be seen from April to November. It hibernates during the winter and emerges in the spring. It has a white mark on its underwing that resembles a comma.
Comma showing its characteristic "comma shaped" white mark
Peacock - Inachis io
The Peacock gets its name from the large, colourful spots on its wings, that resemble the markings on a peacocks tail. They can be seen from March to August, and hibernate in trees during the winter. The specimen in this photograph can be clearly seen feeding on the Buddleia.
Note the Peacocks camouflage, which looks remarkably like wood bark
Front view of a Peacock showing the downy hair on its thorax and abdomen
Small Tortoiseshell - Aglais urticae
The Small Tortoiseshell can be seen from March to late October. It drinks nectar from a wide variety of flowers, but Buddleia seems to be its favourite.
Small Tortoiseshell feeding, note the extended proboscis
Small White - Pieris rapae
The Small White (also known as a Cabbage White), is usually seen between April and October. Unfortunately, it is disliked by most of the gardening and farming community because of its tendancy to lay eggs on members of the cabbage family.
Speckled Wood - Pararge aegeria
The Speckled Wood can often be seen from February to October. This species inhabits woodlands and hedgerows, and feed on Aphid honey-dew rather than nectar.
Red Admiral - Vanessa atalanta
The Red Admiral can be seen between March and October. This species migrates in winter and returns in early spring.
The specimen above, appears to have the tip of its left forewing missing. Remarkably, it could still fly without any problems.
Side view of a Red Admiral showing its bark-like camouflage
Small Skipper - Thymelicus sylvestris
The Small Skipper can be found at the edge of woodland, meadows and grasslands, from May to July. It usually rests with its forewings angled slightly above its hindwings.
Meadow Brown - Maniola jurtina
The Meadow Brown is very common throughout Britain and Ireland. It can be found in a wide range of habitats, between the months of May and September.
Please click on any of the following links for further information:
UK Butterflies
Butterfly Conservation
Suffolk Butterflies
UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme
Learn about Butterflies
Butterflies and Moths
UK Lepidopterists - Yahoo Group
Anglian Lepidopterist Supplies
