Reader Jacques Hausser from Switzerland always has lovely pictures of lepidopterans. The latest came with this note: “Here is my second batch of butterflies (including a moth, like the first one).” (The earlier batch of photos is here.)
Vanessa cardui (Nymphalidae). The painted lady (UK) or the Cosmopolitan (US) – a well earned name, since except for Southern America and Antarctica, it can be found on every continent. This is a migratory species. In Europe, successive generations spend the winter in Northern Africa, and in early spring they cross the Mediterannean and move North, adding further generations in the way. For example the individual shot in my garden the 30th of May was probably born in southern France. This spring migration can be very impressive, as the butterflies fly mostly at the level of the vegetation. A return migration was observed in the late summer, but as the returning flights are mostly at higher altitude (this was demonstrated using radar), it is usually not noticed.
Lycaena virgaureae (Lycaenidae). The scarce copper. This splendid coloration denotes a male, while the female is brown-orange with dark spotting. It lives in meadows of mid-montain areas—in Switzerland from about 750 up to 1800 m.
Gonepteryx rhamni (Pieridae). The brimstone (the upper part of the wings is yellow). The strange morphology of its wings associated whith their coloration give it a leafy look, camouflaging them very well when resting in the vegetation. According to A. Hoskins, they are also excellent meteorologists:
“Brimstones are very adept at detecting changes in temperature, humidity and air pressure. At Crab Wood in March 2007, shortly after midday I watched 5 males actively investigating bramble bushes in a sunny glade. At first I thought they were searching for females, but it soon became clear that they were all looking for places to shelter, having detected an imminent change in the weather. One by one they settled under bramble leaves to roost. Minutes later the sunshine disappeared, clouds had rolled in, and rain was beginning to fall.”
This is one of my [JAC’s] favorite butterflies:
Melanargia galathea (Nymphalidae). The marbled white. Black and white elegance… One of the most frequent species in the natural meadows around my village, it’s called in French “le demi-deuil” = the half mourning.
Here’s a nice Batesian mimic:
Synanthedon spuleri. Yes, it is a Lepidopteran, family Sesiidae. Moths of this family are diurnal and more or less imitate wasps: their wings are for the most part lacking scales and therefore transparent. The caterpillar of this species either lives in galls produced by fungi or bores tunnels between healthy and rotten part of various diseased trees, in both cases feeding on parasitic fungi.
Ahem… Jerry, I’m afraid you posted this serie already. I’m flattered, of course.
I don’t even remember. Pretty – worthy of a repeat anyway.
I remembered once I got to the Marbled White, but I agree–well worth seeing again!
Well, I’m old and forgetful, but no harm in seeing them again!
Er…Jerry, I think you might have posted these before. I’m sure Jacques appreciates the extra (and well-deserved) exposure, though.
b&
Lovely photos Jacques. They can stand being looked at more than once!
That marbled white is particularly nice!
I didn’t know it before his death, but Bruce Dixon, Schwixon’s predecessor custodian, was an avid butterfly collector (something that never resonated with me even as a kid). He had apparently already donated a large number to U Florida’s collection, but the remainder (there were four cabinets) are now in the Carnegie Museum of Pittsburgh’s collection. I found a home for the cabinets, too, with a local metalsmith who makes upscale brass jewelry, and who has started on his own restoration project with the oldest place in town.
The butterfly of the first photo is nässelfjäril [SW]. (En: “nettle butterfly”, from Urtica diocia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urtica_dioica
And we have the scarce copper (“kopparfjäril”) too, up in the fjäll.
[I don’t think there is any etymological connection between fjä-ril and fjä-ll, but you never know… The former sure like the latter!]
I forgot to mention that the larvae of the Cosmopolitan prefer to feed on nettles here, but maybe that was obvious…
Vanessa cardui caterpillar feeds on Asteracea (and specially Carduus, hence its latin name). Don’t you confuse it with Aglais urticae ?
Ha, yes I did, which I discovered myself a minute ago when I thought of checking my unsupported assyumption! It was late yesterday, and I didn’t do my due diligence. :-/
Thanks for the correction!
“Assy-umption”, if that word hasn’t evolved yet it is its time.
I thought I was having a good deja vu. Lovely lepidopterans regardless.
I missed them the first time around, and it’s fortunate to have seen this set. I’ve recently developed an interest in bees (I’ll get around to submitting a set eventually), and along the way have snapped anything else that happened to be hanging around the flowers, including something that, to my amateur eye, looks identical to the Synanthedon spuleri. It’s had me stymied in my quest to identify local species; at least now I have a starting point for research.