The Dreamy Duskywing Butterfly (Erynnis icelus) is a small insect in the Hesperiidae family of Skipper butterflies. It is also known as the Aspen Dusky Wing.
The Dreamy Duskywing Butterfly is dark-brown and light-brown with silvery-grey. The male and female look similar, but the male tends to be darker. The thick, brushed abdomen is dark-brown to black with grey rings. It has long antennae and long palps.
Continue reading “Dreamy Duskywing Butterfly”
The Western European Ringlet Butterfly (Aphantopus hyperantus hyperantus) is an insect in the Nymphalidae family of butterflies.
The Western European Ringet Butterfly has chocolate brown to black wings and a dark-brown hairy body. The upper and lower sides of its wings are solid brown with small, yellow-ringed eyespots. The number of eyespots is variable. The juvenile butterfly has a velvety appearance and is almost black with a white fringe (margin) on each wing. It lightens in colour as it ages.
Continue reading “Western European Ringlet Butterfly”
The Caucasus Marbled White Butterfly (Melanargia galathea donsa) is a medium-sized insect in the Nymphalidae family of butterflies. It is also known as Our Half-Mourner Butterfly and the Marmoris Butterfly.
The Caucasus Marbled White is white with grey-black markings on its upperside. The underside of its hindwings (back wings) has grey eye-spots. The male and female are similar, except that some females have a yellowish underside. Its body is greyish and fluffy. It has long, black, clubbed antennae and large eyes.
Continue reading “CREATURE FEATURE: Caucasus Marbled White Butterfly”
The Syrian Rock-Grayling Butterfly (Hipparchia syriaca) is an insect in the Nympalidae family of brush-footed butterflies.
The Syrian Rock-Grayling is tan, brown, and white, and is well camouflaged on tree bark and rocks. Its upperside is tan with copper, and edged in white, with a few eyespots. Its underside is dark-brown with eyespots. Its body is brown. It is similar to other Graylings, but with a narrower band on its forewing.
Continue reading “Syrian Rock-Grayling Butterfly”
The Comma Butterfly (Polygonia c-album) is an insect in the Nymphalidae family of butterflies. It is also known as the Anglewing, due to its angular wings.
The Comma Butterfly is orange on the upperside of its wings with dark-brown to black markings and light spots on the edge. It has angular notches on the edges of its forewings (front wings). The underside is marbled brown. The hind wings (back wings) have a white spot in the shape of the letter C. It can look like fallen leaves when resting, which confuses its predators. It is a strong flier.
Continue reading “Comma Butterfly”
The Spanish Gatekeeper Butterfly (Pyronia bathseba) is an insect in the Nymphalidae family of brush-footed butterflies.
The Spanish Gatekeeper Butterfly is brown and cream with orange on its forewings (front wings). On its forewings, it has a black circle with one or two white spots inside, called an eyespot. The underside of its hind wings (back wings) is brown with four or five orange-rimmed eyespots. The female has four eyespots on the underside hind wing, whereas the male has five. It also has a distinctive creamy bar across its hind wing. Its body is fluffy, thick, and brown. It has club-shaped antennae.
Continue reading “Spanish Gatekeeper Butterfly”
The Common Blue Butterfly (Polyommatus icarus) is an insect in the Lycaenidae family of blue butterflies.
The Common Blue male has iridescent blue wings above with a thin, black-brown border and white fringe. The female is brown above with blue flecks, like dust, and orange spots. Both the male and the female have a row of red or orange spots along the edge of the hindwing (back wing).
Continue reading “Common Blue Butterfly”
The Great Mormon Butterfly (Papilio Memnon agenor) is a large insect in the Papilionidae family of swallowtail butterflies.
The Great Mormon Butterfly male has blue-black upperparts. The female has brownish upperparts, streaked with greyish white. She has red patches on her wings near her body. Both the male and female do not have a tail, even though it is a swallowtail. Its body is black with medium-sized black antennae.
Continue reading “Great Mormon Butterfly”
The Lesser Rock Grayling (Hipparchia genava) is a common insect in the Nympalidae family of brush-footed butterflies.
The Lesser Rock Grayling is dark-brown on the upperside of its wings with a large, whitish band and a white fringe. The underside also has a large, white band, usually with an eyespot. Its body is furry and brown.
Continue reading “Lesser Rock Grayling Butterfly”
The Speckled Wood Butterfly (Pararge aegeria) is a medium-sized insect in the Nymphalidae family of brush-footed butterflies. It is also known as the Enfield Eye Butterfly or the Wood Argus.
The Speckled Wood Butterfly varies in colour from brown to orange. It has pale yellow, white, cream, or tawny-orange spots and darker eyespots. It has white-edged wings. The female has brighter markings than the male. It has a brown furry body with six brown legs. It has club-shaped antennae.
Continue reading “Speckled Wood Butterfly”
The Red Admiral Butterfly (Vanessa atalanta) is a medium-sized butterfly.
The Red Admiral Butterfly has black wings with orange bands and white spots. Its underside is beige. Its body is light-brown and furry.
Continue reading “Red Admiral Butterfly”
The Large White Butterfly (Pieris brassicae) is a small insect in the Pieridae family of white and yellow butterflies. It is also known as the Large Cabbage White. It is a close relative of the Small White Butterfly (Pieris rapae).
The Large White Butterfly is white with distinct dark-black tips on its forewings (front wings). The female has two large black spots in the middle of its forewings. The male has no black dots. Its upperside is creamy-white, and its underside is pale-greenish. Its body is black.
Continue reading “Large White Butterfly”
The Small White Butterfly (Pieris rapae rapae) is a small insect in the Pieridae family of white and yellow butterflies. It is also known as the Small Cabbage White.
The Small White Butterfly has a white upperside—the male is creamy-white and the female is brighter white – with light-black tips on its forewings (front wings). The female has two large black spots in the middle of its forewings and the male has a small black spot on both its forewings and hind (back) wings. Its underside is yellowish with black speckles. It has club-shaped antennae.
Continue reading “Small White Butterfly”
The Monarch Butterfly (Danus plexippus) is an insect in the Nymphalidae family of milkweed butterfies. It is also known as the Milkweed Butterfly, Common Tiger Butterfly, Wanderer Butterfly, and the Black-Veined Brown Butterfly.
The Monarch Butterfly has black, orange, and white wings. The undersides of its wings are orange-brown. It has black veins and small white spots in the margins at the edge of its wings. The male has a black spot on each hind (back) wing. Its body and its six legs are black.
Continue reading “Monarch Butterfly”
What is a caterpillar?
A caterpillar is the larval stage of a butterfly or moth.A caterpillar pupates – it makes a chrysalis or a cocoon, which is a casing. Inside the casing, the caterpillar undergoes metamorphosis (changes), and it emerges as an adult butterfly.
A caterpillar has a soft body without an internal skeleton, so it is an invertebrate.
Continue reading “What is a Caterpillar?”
The Amazon Butterfly (Coenophlebia archidona) is an insect in the Nymphalidae family of butterflies.
The Amazon Butterfly has orange-brown wings with black-brown tips on the fore (front) wings. It looks like a leaf, so it is well-camouflaged. The front wings have a hook shape.
Continue reading “Amazon Butterfly”
The Montrouzier’s Ulysses Butterfly (Papilio montrouzieri) is a large insect in the family of swallowtail butterflies.
The Montrouzier’s Ulysses Butterfly has iridescent electric blue wings with brown-black edges. It has forked hind (back) wings. Its underside is brown-black. The female has crescent-shaped blue markings on her hind wings. Its body is brown-black with long antennae.
Continue reading “Montrouzier’s Ulysses Butterfly”
The Orange-Barred Sulfur Butterfly (Phoebis philiea) is an insect.
The Orange-Barred Sulfur Butterfly has lemon-yellow wings with an orange smudge on its forewings (front wings) and orange edges on its hindwings (back wings). Its body is blackish with a paler rear end.
Continue reading “Orange-Barred Sulfur Butterfly”
The Common Tiger Butterfly (Danaus genutia) is an insect in the Nymphalidae family and Danainae group of brush-footed butterflies called the crows and tigers. It is also known as the Striped Tiger Butterfly.
The Common Tiger Butterfly is similar to the Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus). The Common Tiger Butterfly has tawny-brown wings with veins marked with broad black bands. The male has a pouch on the hindwing. Its wings have black margins with two rows of white spots. The undersides of its wings are similar to the uppersides, but paler.
Continue reading “Common Tiger Butterfly”
The Common Sergeant Butterfly (Athyma perius) is a medium-sized insect in the Nymphalidae family.
The male Common Sergeant Butterfly has black wings with white markings. The undersides of its wings are yellow with white markings edged with black. Its thorax is black with bluish spots, and its abdomen is brown with white bands. Its antennae are long. The female is blackish-brown with a double row of minute black dots on her wings.
Continue reading “Common Sergeant Butterfly”