Small Chequered butterfly

[julienne]

I can't identify this butterfly and wondered if anyone here can help? It was flying around at the same time as lots of common blues and was the same size as they were. It seems to have a blue tinge on the wings but otherwise seemed brown and cream chequered. Sorry the pics aren't wonderful!

[bailey1409]

Hi Julienne

Not a butterfly, I'm afraid, but a Latticed Heath moth.

Cheers

Maurice

[julienne]

Oh thanks for that! I'm not very well versed in these things and wondered whether it might be a moth but was fooled because the antennae don't look moth-like!

[CallumMac]

the antennae don't look moth-like!

I guess by that you mean that the antennae aren't big and feathery, but in fact the antennae are probably the best way to tell that the thing in your photo is a moth!

Butterflies have "clubbed antennae" - which means there's an obvious knob or bobble on the end of the antenna, like on this Silver-spotted Skipper:

Whereas the antennae of moths just taper out to a point, like on this Elephant Hawk-moth:

You can see in your photos of the Latticed Heath that there's no obvious bulge on the antenna - therefore it's a moth!