Butterflies and Moths, Shown to the Children

PART I. Butterflies

BUTTERFLIES

PLATE I

THE SILVER-WASHED FRITILLARY (1)

The Fritillaries are handsome golden-brown butterflies, with black blotches and streaks on the upper surface of all the wings, and a number of beautiful silvery spots upon the lower surface of the hinder ones. Nine different kinds are found in Great Britain, but one of these--the “Queen of Spain”--is very rare indeed, and several others are very “local”; that is, they are only found in a few places, so that you are not likely ever to see them. But the Silver-washed Fritillary is common in almost every large wood. You may see it flying about on any warm sunny day in July and the early part of August. And it is very fond indeed of resting with outspread wings on bramble blossoms, while it eagerly sucks up their sweet juices.

The caterpillar of this beautiful butterfly feeds upon violet leaves. It is rather a curious-looking creature, for it is covered all over with thorny spikes, two of which, placed just behind the head, are a good deal longer than the others. In colour it is black, with yellow lines along the back and sides. About the end of May it hangs itself up by its tail to the stem of a bramble-bush, or some other low shrub, and turns into a fat, humpy, grey chrysalis, spotted all over with silver and gold.

PLATE I

THE PEARL-BORDERED FRITILLARY (2)

This butterfly is only about half as big as the “silver-washed fritillary,” for its wings hardly ever measure more than an inch and three-quarters across. It is very common indeed in woods, where you may see it flitting about in almost every open space, first in May, and then again in August. Sometimes, too, you may notice it flying along a hedgerow by the roadside. The caterpillar, which feeds upon the leaves of the dog-violet, is black, with white dots and lines, and the chrysalis is greyish-brown, with paler spots upon the sides.

There is another fritillary, called the “Small Pearl-bordered,” which is very much like this butterfly. But you can easily tell the one from the other. All that you have to do is to look at the lower surface of the hind-wings. For in the Pearl-bordered Fritillary there are only nine silvery spots on these wings, while in the small Pearl-bordered there are no fewer than seventeen.

This butterfly also lives in woods, and the two may often be seen flying about together.

1. Small Tortoise-shell 2. Large Tortoise-shell]

PLATE II

THE SMALL TORTOISE-SHELL (1)

This is one of the very commonest of all our British butterflies, and you may see it in almost any month of the year, for it first of all appears early in July, and remains on the wing till about the middle of October. Then it seeks some retired nook, and falls fast asleep until April or the beginning of May, when it leaves its retreat and returns to active life for four or five weeks more. And even in the middle of winter a warmer day than usual will often wake it up for an hour or two from its long slumber, and you may see it flying about, and evidently enjoying the sunshine.

If you want to find the caterpillars of this pretty butterfly, you must look for them on nettle leaves, where you may often see them feeding together in batches of seventy or eighty. They are grey in colour, with a black line running along the back and brown and yellow stripes along the sides, and are covered all over with short, stiff, bristly hairs. When they have reached their full size they wander away from their food-plants, hang themselves up with their heads downwards from a twig, or the side of a wall or a paling, and turn into spiky brown chrysalids, which are covered almost all over with shining golden spots.

PLATE II

THE LARGE TORTOISE-SHELL (2)

As a rule, you can easily tell this butterfly from the last by its size, for it is generally nearly half as big again. But just now and then a Large Tortoise-shell is no bigger than a “small tortoise-shell,” and then it is not always easy to distinguish the one from the other. So remember that a Large Tortoise-shell never has any white spots upon its wings at all, while the “small tortoise-shell” always has two, one of which is placed close to the tip of each of the front pair.

Large Tortoise-shells are not nearly so common as small ones, but in some years they are much more plentiful than in others. They appear in July or August, sleep all through the winter, and then fly about again during April and May. The caterpillars generally feed upon the leaves of elms, though they will also eat those of willow and apple and pear trees. They are brown in colour, with a broad black stripe along each side, and are covered with thorny black bristles. About the middle of June they turn into flesh-coloured chrysalids, marked with a number of bright golden spots, which you may sometimes find hanging by their tails on tree-trunks and park palings.

1. Peacock Butterfly 2. Peacock Caterpillar 3. Red Admiral Butterfly]

PLATE III

THE PEACOCK (1 and 2)

You cannot possibly mistake this beautiful insect for any other British butterfly, for on each of its four wings it has a large eye-like spot, very much like the markings on the tail of a peacock. But the under-side of the wings is quite differently coloured. It is almost as black as charcoal. And the consequence is that when the butterfly sits on the trunk of a tree, with its wings folded over its back, you cannot possibly see it unless you look at it sideways.

Peacock butterflies are very common in August and September, and again in spring, after they have passed through their long winter sleep. They are very fond of sitting on thistle blossoms when the sun is shining, with their wings widely spread. And you may often see them resting on ivy bloom, or sipping the sweet juices of over-ripe plums. During the winter they hide away in outhouses, and sheds, and faggot-stacks. The caterpillars, which feed in large companies on nettle leaves, are black in colour, sprinkled with little white dots, and are quite as thorny as those of the two tortoise-shells. Look for them in June and July. The chrysalids are green, with their heads and bodies rather brighter than their tails, and with a number of gold spots.

PLATE III

THE RED ADMIRAL (3)

I really think that this is the very handsomest of all our British butterflies; for its wings are of the glossiest possible black above, with spots of the purest possible white, and streaks of the brightest possible scarlet. And on their lower surface so many different tints of grey and pink and brown and red are mingled together that I cannot possibly describe them. All that I can do is to advise you to try to catch one of these butterflies and look at it for yourself; and if you do, I am quite sure that you will say that you have never seen a more beautiful insect.

Red Admiral butterflies are nearly always very common from August till October, and again in April and May, and are quite as fond of ivy bloom and the juices of ripe fruits as peacocks. On almost any warm sunny day you may see them flying about in gardens, or on the borders of woods. Their thorny caterpillars, which are yellowish-grey in colour with black markings, and with light yellow lines on each side, may be found feeding on nettle leaves, though not in large companies like those of peacocks and small tortoise-shells. The chrysalids are brown, with gold spots.

1. Painted Lady 2. Marbled White]

PLATE IV

THE PAINTED LADY (1)

In days of old this was not at all a common insect. But in the year 1877 a vast swarm of Painted Ladies came flying across the Straits of Dover, and spread to almost all parts of England. And since then this pretty butterfly has been a good deal more plentiful. But it is much commoner in some years than it is in others. If you want to find it, the very best place to look is a field of red clover in full blossom. The next best place is a field of lucerne. And the next best place to that is a good steep railway bank covered with flowers. But you may often see it resting on thistles and teasels with peacocks and small tortoise-shells.

The caterpillar of this pretty butterfly feeds upon thistle leaves; and for the first fortnight of its life it lives in a sort of little chamber, which it makes by fastening the tips of several leaves together by means of silken threads. It is covered all over with thorny bristles and is brown in colour, with yellow stripes down the back and sides. If you want to find it, you should look for it in June. And when it is fully fed it turns into a brown and grey chrysalis, marked with a number of silver spots. The butterfly comes out in August, and lives till the following May.

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