www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Game for a laugh? Thought I'd ask relatively-random questions about our butterfly fauna. First correct answer results in a new question.

So - what is unique about the Green Hairstreak?

Cheers,

- Pete

Our only "Green" winged butterfly?

Fingers crossed!!

Cheers


Colin

Only butterfly to produce a genuine green pigment? all the others (eg. OT, GVW) just appear green but are actually yellow and black when viewed closely??

Chris is correct (Colin is close, but not close enough)

Q: How can you conclusively tell a Berger's Clouded Yellow from a Pale Clouded Yellow (that doesn't involve DNA testing!)?

Bright orange discoidal spot for Berger's, pale orage for PCY, easily seperated in laval stage.


Martin.

Yes - the answer I was looking for was the different larval stages - well done.

Q: So what's a definitive way of separating male and female Duke of Burgundy?

The first correct respondee gets to ask the next question

Female has larger more rounded wings and larger clearer markings.

Not the answer I was looking for

Number of legs females have six, males four

Correct!

Right - your turn to ask a question

Female has fatter abdomen and lighter markings on wings than male

nevermind - posted it a bit late

Ok
There are 2 members of the subfamily Dismorphiinae found in the British Isles. What are they?

There are 2 members of the subfamily Dismorphiinae found in the British Isles. What are they?

Wood White & Real's Wood White

Hamearis

My turn I guess -
As far as I know, only one British butterfly can survive the winter in two life stages.
Anyone know which it is?

Hamearis

Speckled wood - pupae or as half-grown larvae. I am correct?

Dave
You are correct.
Your turn.

Jamearis

Hi Pete,
Apologies for my pedantry, but strictly speaking the male Duke of Burgundy does have six legs, it's just that the front pair are 'vestigial' (an evolutionary under-development) and not used for walking. If you look very carefully at the butterfly, you can actually see these tiny structures in rapid motion. This under-development of front walking legs characterises butterfly families (e.g. the nymphalids such as the Red Admiral all appear to have only four legs, whereas the pierids such as the whites clearly have six). The Duke is unique in that it (the only member of its family in the UK) differs between the sexes in this manner.
Neil

Completely agree

Thx.

Cheers,

- Pete

OK, out of all the blues (in UK, maybe Europe too) which one flies the higest out of them all?

Dave
Do you mean 'highest' as in altitude - ie, highest up the mountain, or 'highest', as in furthest off the ground?
Roger