Butterfly for ID

[alanjf10]

On friday 11/06/2010 whilst in Perranporth, Cornwall I saw what I can best describe as a bright pink almost cerise coloured butterfly, very striking. I would not describe it as red. any ideas? I had a camera with me but it would not stay still long enough to photograph. Also Adonis Blues can be seen on Goss Moor in Cornwall.

[alanjf10]

So far 12 people have viewed my post but no ID, I'm not making this up!!. I have looked through various other websites and have seen nothing matching the colour of this butterfly. This includes moths.

[Padfield]

Can you add any more details? What size was it? Were there any other markings besides the pink colouring? If, as you say, it was moving all the time, so you couldn't photograph it, was it flapping, gliding, buzzing, walking ...? Did you get a chance to see it settled?

I presume you've eliminated cinnabar moth (see http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/moths.php).

Guy

[Jack Harrison]

Most likely a Cinnebar or one of the Burnet moths. And as far as I know Adonis Blues don’t occur in Cornwall. Most likely they were Common Blues – they have been abundant this year.

Jack

[Cotswold Cockney]

Yes, my money would be on a Cinnabar as Guy and Jack suggest ... as a dayflyer combined with it's less powerful moth type build and flight, often mistaken for a butterfly.

When I was a very small boy, before school age, the Cinnabar moth was a frequent day flying sight in my garden in London's East End. My father called them Cherry Pickers ~ no idea why. Mind you, back then in the mid-1940s, Walthamstow E17 was quite rural compared to what it is today. Plenty of interesting wildlife for a small boy to observe particularly on the bomb sites where I was forbidden to explore.... but, they were so very interesting ....
.

[Gruditch]

The Cinnabar is must be starting to fad a bit. All the early ID requests were for a scarlet butterfly, then they were red, now its orange.

Regards Gruditch

[Denise]

What about Elephant or Small Elephant Hawk-moth?

They buzz about and hover when feeding.

Denise