Can anyone help?
Can anyone help?
Just joined as it's been driving me mad trying to ID a butterfly I saw at the weekend and I'm hoping you guys can help. Unfortunately it was gone before I had a chance to take a photo. The closest thing I can find is that it looked very much like a Red Admiral, with the black and white on the edge of the wings, but the part near the body was all red/orange rather than just a band round the dark centre as in pictures I've seen of Red Admirals. If this makes sense to anyone, I'd be grateful for an ID. If it helps, I saw this in my garden in Essex.
Many thanks!
Sheryl
Many thanks!
Sheryl
- Padfield
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Re: Can anyone help?
Painted lady is very close to red admiral in general pattern, but with the bases of the wings orange rather than black:
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2005/cardui1.jpg)
Any chance it was this?
Guy
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2005/cardui1.jpg)
Any chance it was this?
Guy
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Re: Can anyone help?
Thanks, Guy. No, that wasn't it. The central bit was a solid unmarked orange/red. I have to say I've never seen one before so I'm mightily curious!! Hope someone has an idea. If I see it again I'll be sure to take a photo.
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Re: Can anyone help?
maybe small tortoiseshell sherl?
- Neil Hulme
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Re: Can anyone help?
Hi Sheryl,
Go to http://www.butterfly-conservation.org/b ... erfly.html and use the interactive butterfly identifier. Small Tortoiseshell perhaps?
Neil
Go to http://www.butterfly-conservation.org/b ... erfly.html and use the interactive butterfly identifier. Small Tortoiseshell perhaps?
Neil
- Padfield
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Re: Can anyone help?
You might also try some of the brightly coloured moths, like garden tiger:
http://ukmoths.org.uk/show.php?id=2229
I've no idea how experienced you are so please don't take that as an insult!
Tiger moths are quite frequently mistaken for butterflies.
Guy
http://ukmoths.org.uk/show.php?id=2229
I've no idea how experienced you are so please don't take that as an insult!
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
Guy
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Re: Can anyone help?
Thanks everyone. I'm not experienced at all in this field so I'm sure that doesn't help!! I'm more of a bird person.
I've been going through all the moth photos and I'm pretty sure it wasn't a moth in any case. The nearest thing it looked like is a red admiral with that big eye shape going on round the wings, but it was all orange rather than just an orange circle round the black "eye". The tips of the wings were definitely black with white spots, and the pattern more similar to the red admiral rather than the painted lady. It was definitely not a small tortoiseshell. Maybe some sort of a morph (or maybe my eyes need testing - but my partner did see it as well so maybe not!!!). Anyway, I'm glad I saw it, whatever it was, and I do appreciate everyone's input. I'll look out for it and, as I said, if I see it again I'll grab a photo this time ![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
- Dave McCormick
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Re: Can anyone help?
It could have been a red admiral or Indian Red Admiral? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Red_Admiral
Cheers all,
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Re: Can anyone help?
Anything like this?
![Image](http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee165/denise-birder/IMG_2076Small.jpg)
Cream-spot Tiger Moth.
Denise
![Image](http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee165/denise-birder/Cream-spotTigerMothLargeSmall.jpg)
![Image](http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee165/denise-birder/IMG_2076Small.jpg)
Cream-spot Tiger Moth.
Denise
Re: Can anyone help?
Very close to that, Dave, but with no markings on the orange. Here's a doctored picture of a red admiral which shows how striking the colouring was.Dave McCormick wrote:It could have been a red admiral or Indian Red Admiral? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Red_Admiral
![Image](http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m311/sacmac/images.jpg)
It was very strange to say the least!!
Re: Can anyone help?
Sacmac wrote:Very close to that, Dave, but with no markings on the orange. Here's a doctored picture of a red admiral which shows how striking the colouring was.Dave McCormick wrote:It could have been a red admiral or Indian Red Admiral? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Red_Admiral
It was very strange to say the least!!
Re: Can anyone help?
Thanks Denise, but definitely not that.Denise wrote:Anything like this?
Cream-spot Tiger Moth.
Denise
Re: Can anyone help?
possibly a Monarch, one that's the by-product of a wedding release?
http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/species. ... me=Monarch
http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/species. ... me=Monarch
- Padfield
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Re: Can anyone help?
Your doctored picture makes me think of plain tiger:
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images/chrysippus4.JPG)
Guy
Guy
Guy's Butterflies: https://www.guypadfield.com
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Re: Can anyone help?
Sheryl, you say you're in Essex - are you near South Woodham Ferrers? There's a tropical butterfly house there called Tropical Wings, so maybe the butterfly might have been an escapee like the Plain Tiger that Guy suggested...
also another possible; not a butterfly I know anything about - a female Danaid Eggfly
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Dana ... y_pair.jpg
also another possible; not a butterfly I know anything about - a female Danaid Eggfly
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Dana ... y_pair.jpg
Re: Can anyone help?
Thanks Guy, this one is very close to it, apart from the faint black markings in the orange.padfield wrote:Your doctored picture makes me think of plain tiger:
Guy
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
Sheryl
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Re: Can anyone help?
This is a common pattern in exotic butterflies because it is mimicked by several quite unrelated species (like the 'Danaid' eggfly, mentioned above, which is not a Danaid at all). So that may be as far as we can get without more info! As Annie says, if Tropical Wings is near you they might be able to give you a list of their species.
The plain tiger is an African butterfly that breeds very locally in Spain and France (my picture was from the Canaries). It is highly unlikely to have reached England naturally.
Guy
The plain tiger is an African butterfly that breeds very locally in Spain and France (my picture was from the Canaries). It is highly unlikely to have reached England naturally.
Guy
Guy's Butterflies: https://www.guypadfield.com
The Butterflies of Villars-Gryon : https://www.guypadfield.com/villarsgryonbook.html
The Butterflies of Villars-Gryon : https://www.guypadfield.com/villarsgryonbook.html
Re: Can anyone help?
oops! sorry, only happened upon it when looking for something else - good old Wikipedia!padfield wrote:like the 'Danaid' eggfly, mentioned above, which is not a Danaid at all
Re: Can anyone help?
Thanks Annie, this is absolutely the nearest thing to what we saw so I'm opting for this at the moment! We are about ten miles from South Woodham Ferrers so it's possible what we saw was an escapee. Thanks for all your helpAnnie wrote:Sheryl, you say you're in Essex - are you near South Woodham Ferrers? There's a tropical butterfly house there called Tropical Wings, so maybe the butterfly might have been an escapee like the Plain Tiger that Guy suggested...
also another possible; not a butterfly I know anything about - a female Danaid Eggfly
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Dana ... y_pair.jpg
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
Re: Can anyone help?
Sheryl - I would reiterate that I am only the at the bottom rung of absolute beginnership in the world of butterflies, and you would be much wiser looking into Guy's suggestion of the Plain Tiger. I only came upon the Eggfly when I was on Wikipedia looking for something else.