Beauty makes us love, and butterflies have worked our proclivity for the beautiful into a favored spot among insects. While many others including their closely-related but often more humble-looking relatives, the moths, are reviled by humanity, the butterflies are well-loved symbols of our dreams and fancies; they are the forebears of fairies, living myths in their own way. And unlike the unearned bad reputations of other insects, at least we can say the butterflies’ are well-deserved.
On this day two years ago butterflies, including this Lycaenidae species, were out and about.
Ceraunus blue (Hemiargus ceraunus)perched on a wild flower.
Ceraunus blue (Hemiargus ceraunus) perched on a wild flower.
Little copper (Lycaena phlaeas) on wild thyme.
Tattered red-spotted purple (Limenitis arthemis)
The fine arrangement and beautiful pattern of scales of an owl butterfly’s wing.
Common Ringlet Butterfly (Coenonympha tullia) perched on a plantain
The Prize: Ceraunus blue butterfly (Hemiargus ceraunus) resting on a sandspur
A little closer: Little Copper butterfly (Lycaena phlaeas) – darker edit
Flying Butterfly at Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory in South Deerfield, MA.
Viceroy Butterfly (Limenitis archippus)
Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa) resting in an apple tree.
Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa) resting in an apple tree.
American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis)
Comma Butterfly (Polygonia comma)
Tattered Fritillary Butterfly (family Nymphalidae)
Cairns Birdwing (Ornithoptera euphorion)Portrait
Tiger swallowtails (Papilio glaucus) puddling on the beach of a pond.
Tiger swallowtails (Papilio glaucus) puddling on the beach of a pond.
Tiger swallowtails (Papilio glaucus) puddling on the beach of a pond.
Tiger swallowtails (Papilio glaucus) puddling on the beach of a pond.
Tiger swallowtails (Papilio glaucus) puddling on the beach of a pond.
Tiger swallowtails (Papilio glaucus) puddling on the beach of a pond.
BugPhoto.net 
Hello Michael, would you mind adding the scientific names to some of these butterflies? For example your Mourning Cloak looks like our Camberwell Beauty, Nymphalis antiopa. Your Little Copper looks like a Small Copper, Lycaena phlaeas. The American Lady looks similar to our Painted Lady, Vanessa Cardui and your Viceroy looks like a Monarch, Danaus plexippus. It’ll save me popping over the pond :0)
Well turns out the Mourning Cloak is Nymphalis antiopa, and the Little Copper (also known as an American Copper, which is very American of us, ha!) is Lycaena phlaeas.
We’ve got the Painted Lady, but the American Lady, Vanessa virginiensis, has two big large spots on the hindwing, whereas V. cardui has four smaller ones, so I think I’ve got that one right.
The Viceroy, Limenitis archippus, is a very convincing Monarch mimic, but smaller and it has a crossing line on the hindwing to distinguish it from its “superior.”
I’ll definitely add the names. (I was probably thinking the posts were tagged, but this page only links to the images.) You are more than welcome on this side of the pond, however!
Thanks Michael. I thought a few of them looked familiar. Presumably the Viceroy is using Batesian mimicry to help protect itself from predators. I understand that the Monarch is toxic due to the caterpillar feeding on Milkweed. Occasionally we do get a wind-blown Monarch here in the UK but it will never colonise as we do not have Milkweed.
You know, I believe the Viceroy was long held as a Batesian mimic, but I read an article (where I don’t remember) recently suggesting it is in fact a Müllerian mimic. Apparently, it is quite noxious-tasting to predators, too.
And I have to ask, how many Monarchs have you seen in the past two years? It had been about that long since my last one, that is up until last week. That was quite a sight for sore eyes! It wasn’t very amenable to having its photo taken however. :o)
The only Monarch I’ve ever seen is a pinned specimen in the Hampshire collection. However, a Monarch was seen in Wiltshire on the 13 April.
So quite a few folks on your side of the pond have presumably seen as many as I have in the last two years! I say sincerely, Good for them — but it is a sorry state of affairs over here for the Monarch at present. Here’s hoping the one I saw last week is a good omen. There’s certainly plenty of milkweed in the yard, though nary a Monarch caterpillar.
Yes, sounds like it could be in trouble.