Category Archives: Butterflies

There are two species on campus which drive the gardener mad! The Large White (Pieris brassicae) and the Small White (Pieris rapae). These species feed on the Brassicales order, especially the Brassicaceae family, the Cabbages and Mustards, to most of … Continue reading →

Currently recorded on campus are two species of blue coloured butterflies these ar: the Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus) and the Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus).  To the untrained eye, in flight, they look the same, and telling the difference between the … Continue reading →

The Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris) is a charming faded orange butterfly of the UK countryside, with a black then white margin that fades into the orange of the wings, see image 1. With a wingspan up to 28mm.

As is routinely seen across the web, the Hesperiidae (the Skipper butterfly family) suffers from misidentification as moths. So when you’re out and about, and think that’s a day flying moth, stop and double-check, it could be a charming skipper … Continue reading →