www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Sorry Denise - there was a flurry of posts since I last looked and I missed your suggestion.

You counted 6 legs per insect and so 48 shoes in total. But small tortoiseshells have only 4 functional legs and Dukes have 4 (male) or 6 (female) - hence Pete's query about same-sex couples.

The breakdown is:
Large white - 6 pairs of shoes needed for the couple
Common blue - 6 pairs
Small tortoiseshell - 4 pairs
Duke of Burgundy - 5 pairs

Making 21 pairs in total.

Guy

True to form, this critter was found in a vile nasa plot to claim that the moon is now a US state.

Cheers,

- Pete

Sorry Guy - but the answer has to be just 13 pairs.
If they had bowling shoes on all their feet, how would they carry the bowling ball?
Roger (being a little pedantic)

Pete
Red Admiral I think?

Rogerdodge wrote:Pete
Red Admiral I think?

Nope - and I hope the clue isn't too cryptic

Cheers,

- Pete

Is this your cynical way of celebrating the APOLLO missions, Pete?

No, I thought not.

Roger, I hadn't fully thought through the complications of butterfly bowling. 13 would certainly be the correct answer if each butterfly used one fewer pair of shoes. Sorry!!!

Guy

padfield wrote:Is this your cynical way of celebrating the APOLLO missions, Pete?

I never thought of that - but "no". Additional clue - there's an anagram in there

padfield wrote:Roger, I hadn't fully thought through the complications of butterfly bowling. 13 would certainly be the correct answer if each butterfly used one fewer pair of shoes. Sorry!!!

I don't think there's any need to apologise, Guy. The last time I saw a bowling ball moving, apparently of its own accord, a whole bunch of butterflies had "teamed together" - no legs needed, other than to stabilise themselves

Cheers,

- Pete

valesina?

That's brilliant, Denise! I feel there must be more, though. Mmm...

Guy

Nope - Denise has it spot on. I thought I'd pad it out to make a sensible sentence and keep you lot guessing

"Form" was a clue too

Over to you Denise.

Cheers,

- Pete

Nuts, I almost had it but was trying to work the word 'plot' into the anagram.

Yup, and the last 10 words had me barking up quite the wrong tree too! The hint was in the word 'form'.

It's been pouring with rain here for a couple of days, so I'm glad of the diversion!

Guy

davras suenica is not a greek taverna but possibly the most common butterfly in the UK this year.
What is the common name?

Denise

Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui).

Cheers,

- Pete

Over to you Pete.

I'm rapidly running out - anyway, here goes!

"After taking advice from http://www.anti-aging.org/, no more disparaging remarks were made about this critter."

Cheers,

- Pete

Well, if we're allowing American butterflies, that would have to be the gray (sic) hairstreak!

Guy

Or I suppose after treatment it might be our own brown hairstreak.

Guy

No and no

Clue: It's another word play.

Cheers,

- Pete

Pete
Grizzled Skipper?