www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

It looks as if I made a mistake and conflated Wonderland and Looking Glass land, because I was all in a hurry. Oh well. I hope someone answers the question correctly (Annie?) and can pose a more rigorous one!

The Mock Turtle describes the four branches of arithmetic in Wonderland, but the lepidopteral creature I'm thinking of is referred to in Looking Glass.

Sorry about that. I blame the dumbing down in education.

Guy

(a) is the Large Chequered Skipper, Miroir in French, and as hinted at in Guy's original question, dubiously British. No idea about (b) though.

That's a brilliant answer, Matsukaze, and if coupled with the right answer to (b) I would give it to you for your devious linguistic lateral thinking. It's not actually what I had in mind at all, though - my answer was rather more straightforward. It is to be found in chapter 3 of the Looking Glass.

Guy

the answer to a) is Bread And Butterfly! - I realised last night that it's in the Disney film version, which goes under the name of "Wonderland" but uses lots of aspects from "Looking Glass"

still not a clue on question b, though I guess it's something to do with Tenniel?

Yep, that's the one!

The second part, which seems to be baffling everyone, concerns a 'lost' chapter of Looking Glass that surfaced in the 1970s. It's not really anything to do with butterflies (another species of sartorially conscious insect) - I just thought someone would get it quite quickly so I chucked it in.

Guy

Is it the Wasp in a Wig?

Felix.

There you have it! The Bread-and-butter-fly and the Wasp in a Wig! Sorry to have kept you all from serious questions for so long.

Tenniel apparently wrote, "A wasp in a wig is altogether beyond the appliances of art" and his refusal to illustrate the chapter is generally held to be why it was cut from the original book.

Felix, the honour is yours if you are ready for it again. Feel free to pass it to Annie or Matsukaze if your question bank is getting depleted!

Guy

It was when you mentioned the 'lost' chapter that bells started ringing. When I first read your poser I confess that I began reading far too much into it, quickly became frustrated, muttered to myself and promptly gave up!

Annie, the baton is yours - you did all the ground work after all...

Felix.

Ok, here's one -

Even if you don't know the answer you can probably make an educated guess! The question relates to my local stomping ground

Which member of family Lycaenidae is pictured on the information board at the foot of Brean Down in Somerset?

Sorry that it's not more of an exciting question! You'll have to wait till I know a bit more before I can post some real posers!

Surely the Chalkhill Blue?

Felix.

too quick!

absolutely correct, it is the Chalkhill Blue

I am passing that old baton straight back to you

The Silver Studded Blue colonies that occur on the Isle of Portland in Dorset are frequently referred to as being of the subspecies cretaceus, although there is little grounds to actually award these colonies subspecific status.

The original subspecies cretaceus occurred in Kent, but which site in particular was considered to be their stronghold?

Felix.

A wild guess - Folkestone Warren?

Far too wild I'm afraid Pete!

Felix.

Wrotham?

No, sorry Martin...

Felix - are you ever going to put us out of our misery?

I thought that it might be Felixstow, but I'm sure that's in Suffolk.
Not a clue Felix, but a wild guess, Chobham Common.

Denise

Denise wrote:I thought that it might be Felixstow, but I'm sure that's in Suffolk.
Not a clue Felix, but a wild guess, Chobham Common.

Denise

Chobham Common is in Surrey, Denise ...

...but yes, c'mon Felix, what's the answer and what's the next question

Sorry guys and gals,

I thought that the daily comp was dead (and felt guilty that I may have killed it!), but it lives...

Well the answer (if anyone is interested anymore) is (was) Saltbox Hill in Kent.

Ok, here goes, another teaser; and please somebody get this one because I am fast running out of things to ask...

What is generally considered to be the single most likely cause of the Duke of Burgundy's drastic decline on chalk grassland in Southern England over the past decade?

So; what, more than any other factor, can be considered to shoulder the greatest percentage of blame for the species decline from the downland sites..?

This is a topical question which has been discussed in a few journals etc of late so the answer (much like the truth) 'is out there'...

Felix.