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Hello me again,
Are these Peacock abs? Their wing margins seem blacker than I've seen in other specimens over the years. Photos were taken in August 2012 Crickley Hill Country Park Gloucestershire.
Thanks in advance.

Hi Stevie - the borders do look quite dark, but as this was August when these butterflies were brand new, their colours will have been at their most intense and vibrant. I would therefore say they probably fall within "normal variation". It's fair to say as a general comment that the boundaries between the extremes of such "variation" and named aberrations are often rather blurred...

Cheers,

Dave

Thanks for the explanation although I have only ever seen this really black wing margins on Peacocks at this site during different years.

Seeing this post prompted me to look again at this Peacock photo from a few years ago taken at Cotley Hill, Wiltshire. I was wondering if it was within normal variation or an ab. The eye markings look a bit extreme as the white circles on the hindwings look rather large.

False Apollo wrote: ↑Wed Dec 15, 2021 12:09 pm Seeing this post prompted me to look again at this Peacock photo from a few years ago taken at Cotley Hill, Wiltshire. I was wondering if it was within normal variation or an ab. The eye markings look a bit extreme as the white circles on the hindwings look rather large.

There doesn't seem to be a description describing this particular variation . It being not fresh makes me wonder whether wear and tear has exaggerated this look, although I suspect even when fresh it probably stuck out a bit.