THE “SHOWN TO THE CHILDREN” SERIES
1. BEASTS
With 48 Coloured Plates by PERCY J.
BILLINGHURST. Letterpress by LENA
DALKEITH.
2. FLOWERS
With 48 Coloured Plates showing 150
flowers, by JANET HARVEY KELMAN.
Letterpress by C. E. SMITH.
3. BIRDS
With 48 Coloured Plates by M. K.
C. SCOTT. Letterpress by J. A. HENDERSON.
4. THE SEA-SHORE
With 48 Coloured Plates by JANET
HARVEY KELMAN. Letterpress by
Rev. THEODORE WOOD.
5. THE FARM
With 48 Coloured Plates by F. M. B.
and A. H. BLAIKIE. Letterpress by
FOSTER MEADOW.
6. TREES
With 32 Coloured Plates by JANET
HARVEY KELMAN. Letterpress by C.
E. SMITH.
7. NESTS AND EGGS
With 48 Coloured Plates by A. H.
BLAIKIE. Letterpress by J. A. HENDERSON.
8. BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS
With 48 Coloured Plates by JANET
HARVEY KELMAN. Letterpress by
Rev. THEODORE WOOD.
9. STARS
By ELLISON HAWKS.
THE “SHOWN TO THE CHILDREN” SERIES
EDITED BY LOUEY CHISHOLM
BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS
[Illustration: PLATE I
1. Silver-washed Fritillary
2. Pearl-bordered Fritillary]
Butterflies and
Moths
SHOWN TO THE CHILDREN
BY
JANET HARVEY KELMAN
DESCRIBED BY
REV. THEODORE WOOD
[Illustration]
FORTY-EIGHT COLOURED PICTURES
LONDON: T. C. & E. C. JACK
NEW YORK: THE PLATT & PECK CO.
A large number of the butterflies and moths in this book were drawn
from insects in Mr. R. J. M. M‘Kerrell’s private collection, and the
artist wishes to thank him most cordially for his great kindness.
PREFACE
In this little book I want to tell you something about the common
butterflies and moths which you may find in almost all parts of the
country. But, first of all, I think that perhaps I had better say
something about what we generally call their “life-history.”
Of course you know that butterflies and moths are not butterflies and
moths to begin with. They enter the world in the form of eggs, just
as birds and fishes do. These eggs are often very beautiful indeed.
You may find them on the leaves of different plants, sometimes on
the upper side and sometimes on the lower side. And if you look
at them through a good strong magnifying-glass--or, better still,
through a microscope--you will find that some are shaped like little
sugar-loaves, and some like acorns, and some like tiny melons, while
they are nearly always covered with raised patterns which one might
almost think must have been cut by fairy chisels.
In course of time these eggs hatch, and out come a number of little
caterpillars, which at once begin to eat the leaves of the plant on
which the eggs were laid. They have most wonderful appetites, and
hardly ever stop feeding all day long. The consequence is, of course,
that they grow very quickly; and in a few days’ time they find that
their jackets are much too tight for them. Then a most curious thing
happens. Their skins split right down the back, and they wriggle and
twist about, and rub themselves against the surrounding objects, till
at last they manage to creep out of them altogether and appear in new
ones, which had been gradually forming underneath the old!
Wouldn’t it be nice if we could get new suits of clothes, or new
frocks, as easily as this?
As soon as their change of garments is over, the little caterpillars
begin to feed again, as hungrily as before. But after about a week
their new skins are too tight for them, and they have to change them
again! This very often happens six or seven times before they are fully
fed. But at last they stop eating, throw off their skins once more, and
appear as chrysalids.
You may often find these chrysalids on fences and walls, and also on
the stems and leaves of bushes and low plants. Sometimes they are
suspended by the tips of their tails from little silken pads, which the
caterpillars spin for that purpose; and sometimes they are held upright
by silken belts round the middle of their bodies. They cannot see, for
they have no eyes; and they cannot eat, for they have no mouths; and
of course they cannot move about. All that they can do, if you touch
them, is just to wriggle their tails from side to side. And there they
remain, sometimes for weeks and sometimes for months, till the time
comes for the perfect butterflies to make their appearance.
Then, one day, the skins of the chrysalids split open, and out creep
the butterflies. But if you were to see them now you would never guess
what they were, for their wings are so tiny, and so crumpled up, that
you can hardly see them. They climb up to some firm foothold, however,
and then remain perfectly still; and by slow degrees the creases
straighten out, and the wings become larger and larger, and stronger
and stronger, till at last they reach their full size and strength, and
the butterflies, perfect at last, are able to fly away.
That is the “life-history” of a butterfly; and moths are developed
in just the same way, except that very often their caterpillars spin
silken cells, which we call “cocoons,” and turn to chrysalids inside
them. And the chrysalids of moths, remember, are often known as “pupæ.”
Then there are one or two other things about these insects that I
should like to tell you. One is that their wings are covered all over
with very tiny scales.
Of course you know that if you catch a butterfly, and let it go again,
your fingers are covered with a kind of mealy dust. And if you look at
a little of this dust through a microscope you will find that it is
made up of thousands and thousands of the smallest possible scales, all
most beautifully chiselled and sculptured, and each with a slender
little stalk at the base. And if you look at a piece of the butterfly’s
wings through the microscope, you will see that these scales are
arranged upon it in rows, which overlap one another just like the
slates on the roof of a house.
All the colour of a butterfly’s wing is in these scales, and if you rub
them off you will find that the wing itself is as transparent as that
of a bluebottle-fly or a bee.
Then a great many butterflies and moths have a “trunk” or “proboscis”
coiled up underneath the head. This is really a long tube, and when
the insects are hungry they poke it down into a flower, and suck up
the nectar through it. You can see this trunk quite easily if you look
sideways at such a butterfly as a “scarlet admiral” or a “peacock.”
Then there is just one thing more.
No doubt you would like to know how to tell butterflies from moths.
Well, just look at their feelers or “antennæ,” as they are often
called. You will see that those of butterflies are thickened at the
very tips, while those of moths are not. Besides this, the body of a
butterfly is nipped in at the middle much more than that of a moth. And
when a butterfly is at rest it always folds its wings together over its
back, while moths nearly always spread them out, or allow them to hang
down, or wrap them round their bodies.
THEODORE WOOD.
LIST OF PLATES
PLATE I
1. Silver-washed Fritillary
2. Pearl-bordered Fritillary
PLATE II
1. Small Tortoise-shell
2. Large Tortoise-shell
PLATE III
1. Peacock Butterfly
2. Peacock Caterpillar
3. Red Admiral Butterfly
PLATE IV
1. Painted Lady
2. Marbled White
PLATE V
1. Speckled Wood
2. Wall
PLATE VI
1. Meadow Brown
2. Ringlet
PLATE VII
1. Large Heath
2. Small Heath
PLATE VIII
1. Green Hair Streak
2. Purple Hair Streak
PLATE IX
1. Small Copper
2. Common Blue
PLATE X
1. Brown Argus
2. Clifton Blue
PLATE XI
1. Chalk-hill Blue
2. Little Blue
PLATE XII
1. Azure Blue
2. Brimstone
PLATE XIII
1. Clouded Yellow
2. Pale Clouded
PLATE XIV
1. Swallow-tail
2. Swallow-tail Caterpillar
PLATE XV
1. Orange Tip, male
2. Orange Tip, female
PLATE XVI
1. Large White
2. Large White Caterpillar
3. Small White
4. Small White Caterpillar
5. Green-veined White, under-side
PLATE XVII
1. Grizzled Skipper
2. Dingy Skipper
3. Large Skipper
4. Small Skipper
PLATE XVIII
1. Eyed Hawk
2. Eyed Hawk Caterpillar
PLATE XIX
1. Poplar Hawk
2. Poplar Hawk Caterpillar
PLATE XX
1. Lime Hawk
2. Lime Hawk Caterpillar
PLATE XXI
1. Death’s Head
2. Death’s Head Caterpillar
PLATE XXII
1. Privet Hawk
2. Privet Hawk Caterpillar
PLATE XXIII
1. Elephant Hawk
2. Elephant Hawk Caterpillar
3. Small Elephant Hawk Moth
PLATE XXIV
1. Humming-Bird Hawk
2. Bee Hawk
3. Currant Clearwing
4. Hornet Clearwing
PLATE XXV
1. Common Swift
2. Ghost Swift, male
3. Ghost Swift, female
PLATE XXVI
1. Goat Moth
2. Goat Caterpillar
PLATE XXVII
1. Wood Leopard
2. Green Forester
3. Six-Spot Burnet
PLATE XXVIII
1. Cinnabar
2. Cinnabar Caterpillar
3. White Ermine
PLATE XXIX
1. Garden Tiger
2. Garden Tiger Caterpillar
3. Cream Spotted Tiger
4. Cream Spotted Tiger Caterpillar
PLATE XXX
1. Gold-Tail
2. Gold-Tail Caterpillar
3. Pale Tussock
4. Pale Tussock Caterpillar
PLATE XXXI
1. Lackey
2. Lackey Caterpillar
3. Vapourer, male
4. Vapourer Caterpillar
5. Vapourer, female
PLATE XXXII
1. Oak Eggar
2. Drinker
3. Drinker Caterpillar
PLATE XXXIII
1. Lappet
2. Lappet Caterpillar
PLATE XXXIV
1. Swallow-tail Moth
2. Swallow-tail Caterpillar
3. Emperor
4. Emperor Caterpillar
PLATE XXXV
1. Brimstone
2. Canary-Shouldered Thorn
3. Pepper and Salt
PLATE XXXVI
1. Willow Beauty
2. Large Emerald
PLATE XXXVII
1. Bordered White, male
2. Bordered white, female
3. Magpie
4. Magpie Caterpillar
PLATE XXXVIII
1. Spring Usher
2. Winter Moth, male
3. Winter Moth, female
PLATE XXXIX
1. Mottled Umber, male
2. Mottled Umber, female
3. Mottled Umber Caterpillar
PLATE XL
1. Garden Carpet
2. Yellow Shell
3. Pebble Hook-tip
PLATE XLI
1. Puss
2. Puss Caterpillar
PLATE XLII
1. Lobster
2. Lobster Caterpillar
PLATE XLIII
1. Buff Tip
2. Buff Tip Caterpillar
PLATE XLIV
1. Figure of Eight
2. Peach Blossom
3. Grey Dagger
PLATE XLV
1. Large Yellow Underwing
2. Red Underwing
PLATE XLVI
1. Pine Beauty
2. Old Lady
PLATE XLVII
1. Pink-barred Sallow
2. Angel-shades
3. Silver Y
PLATE XLVIII
1. Beautiful Yellow Underwing
2. Orange Underwing
3. Burnished Brass
BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS
PART I
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.
[Illustration: PLATE II
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.
[Illustration: PLATE III
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.
[Illustration: PLATE IV
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.
PLATE IV
THE MARBLED WHITE (2)
Although its colours are only glossy black and creamy-white, this is
one of the prettiest of all our British butterflies. But it is quite
possible to live all one’s life in the country without ever seeing it,
because it is so very “local.” In one field, perhaps, or on one little
patch of ground on a grassy hillside, it may be very common indeed,
and you may often see fifteen or twenty of the graceful little insects
flying about together. And yet you may hunt for miles and miles in
every direction, and not see a single one anywhere else.
If you ever happen to find the caterpillar of this butterfly, you can
recognise it at once by its colouring, for it has a pale green body
with a yellow stripe running along each side, and a reddish head. And
besides this there are two reddish spikes at the end of the body,
forming a sort of projecting tail. It feeds on different kinds of
grasses in September, and then again, after its long winter sleep,
in April and May. Look out for the butterfly in July and the early part
of August.
[Illustration: PLATE V
1. Speckled Wood
2. Wall]
PLATE V
THE SPECKLED WOOD (1)
As you walk through a wood on a bright sunny day at the end of April,
or in the beginning of May, you may often see a dark brown butterfly
marked with a number of paler spots, which flits along just in front
of you for some little distance, and then mounts up over your head and
flies back the way it came. This is a Speckled Wood butterfly, or Wood
Argus, as it is sometimes called. Argus, as perhaps you know, was a
heathen god, who was supposed to have a hundred eyes. And his name has
been given to the butterfly on account of the row of eye-like spots
which runs along the margin of the hinder wings.
The caterpillar of this butterfly, which is a pretty little green
creature with a white stripe along each side, and a dark brown one
along its back, feeds on different kinds of grass, first in August and
September, and then again in March. Before it enters into its long
winter sleep it throws off its skin no less than five times and appears
in a new one, which has been forming underneath the old coat. And,
strange to say, it always eats its own cast skins! The chrysalis is of
a beautiful bright green colour, and you may sometimes find it fastened
to grass blades growing beneath trees in woods.
PLATE V
THE WALL BUTTERFLY (2)
I think that you must know this butterfly very well indeed by sight,
for it is extremely common in all parts of the country. Indeed in May,
and again in August, you can hardly walk along a lane, or through a
grassy meadow, without seeing it in dozens whenever the sun is shining.
It is called the “Wall” butterfly because it is very fond of resting
for a moment or two on the top of a roadside wall. But it seems to have
very sharp eyes, for if you walk towards the butterfly it is almost
sure to fly swiftly away, only to return to the same spot as soon as
you have passed by.
Like that of the “speckled wood,” the caterpillar of this butterfly is
green in colour, and feeds upon different kinds of grasses. But you can
always tell it by the fact that it has three pale lines running along
its back instead of one dark brown streak, as well as a rather broader
one along each side. The chrysalis is bright apple-green, with a few
yellowish-white spots, and you may sometimes find it suspended by its
tail from a blade of grass.
[Illustration: PLATE VI
1. Meadow-Brown
2. Ringlet]
PLATE VI
THE MEADOW-BROWN (1)
In almost all parts of the country, this is the very commonest of
our British butterflies. From the beginning of June until quite the
end of August you may see it in hundreds and hundreds, flying about
in meadows, or along grassy banks by the roadside. And even on dull,
gloomy days, when all other butterflies are hiding away in some snug
retreat, it flits to and fro just as gaily as if the sun were shining
brightly.
This is one of the butterflies in which the female is not quite like
the male. For instead of having just a small dark spot with a white
ring round it on each of the front wings, she has a large black spot
with a little white dot in the middle. And round this is a patch of
tawny yellow, which occupies nearly a quarter of the whole wing.
The eggs of the Meadow-brown butterfly are laid on different kinds of
grass. When they hatch, the little caterpillars feed for about ten
days, and then hide away among the roots, where they remain fast asleep
until the following spring. In colour they are bright green, with a
white stripe on each side, and when they are fully fed they turn into
pale green chrysalids, marked all over with purple-black spots.
PLATE VI
THE RINGLET (2)
You can easily see why this butterfly is called the Ringlet, for on the
lower surface of its wings it has a number of eye-like spots which are
generally so close together that they form a sort of chain, made up of
several rings. But the odd thing is that these spots vary very much
indeed both in size and number. Generally there are eight quite large
ones on each side, three on the front wings and five on the hind ones.
But sometimes there are nine, and sometimes there are seven; and just
now and then there are only three or four very tiny ones, while you
may sometimes catch a Ringlet butterfly which has no spots at all. The
upper surface of the wings is always dark smoky brown all over, with
only a few very faint spots of a lighter colour.
The best place in which to look for Ringlet butterflies is in grassy
paths through woods, where it is sometimes very common indeed. The
caterpillars, which feed upon different kinds of grass, are very much
like those of the “large heath.” But they only come out to feed during
the night, so that if you want to find them you will have to look for
them with a lantern. They are fully fed about the beginning of June,
and the butterfly makes its appearance in July.
[Illustration: PLATE VII
1. Large Heath
2. Small Heath]
PLATE VII
THE LARGE HEATH (1)
This butterfly is very nearly as plentiful as the “meadow-brown,” and
you can hardly walk along a lane or through a meadow without seeing it.
The male is rather different from the female, for he is a good deal
smaller, and has a band of dark brown running down from just above the
middle of the front wings to the centre of the hind margin.
The caterpillar of this butterfly feeds upon couch-grass. It is
greenish-grey in colour, with a reddish head, and has two pale lines
running along each of its sides, and a dark one along its back. When it
has reached its full size it spins a kind of little silken pad upon a
blade of grass, from which it hangs itself up with its head downwards.
Two days later it throws off its skin and turns into a fat little
greenish-white chrysalis, marked with a number of dark streaks and
blotches. Look for the caterpillar in May and the early part of June,
for the chrysalis at the end of June, and for the butterfly in July and
August.
PLATE VII
THE SMALL HEATH (2)
Of course you know this butterfly very well indeed by sight, for it is
extremely common everywhere on heaths and downs and in grassy fields
and in lanes from the beginning of June until the end of September.
You may often see it gambolling about in company with “meadow-browns”
and the pretty little blue butterflies, which are generally so common
at the same time of the year. It is quite a small insect, for it only
measures about an inch and a quarter across the wings; but in Scotland,
strange to say, it is generally a good deal larger than it is in
England.
The caterpillar of this butterfly is a little apple-green creature,
with a darker stripe edged with white running along its back, and
another along each of its sides. It feeds upon grass, and when it is
fully fed it spins a kind of silken belt round a grass-stem, fastens
itself to it with its head hanging downwards, and then changes into a
bright green chrysalis with a short purple stripe, bordered with white,
on each side.
[Illustration: PLATE VIII
1. Green Hair Streak
2. Purple Hair Streak]
PLATE VIII
THE GREEN HAIR-STREAK (1)
The Hair-streaks are pretty little butterflies which you can very
easily tell by sight. For, in the first place, they always have a
pale streak, or a row of little white dots, scarcely thicker than a
hair, running across the lower surface of the wings. That is why they
are called “Hair-streaks.” And, in the second place, the hind-wings
have a pair of little tails, something like those of the swallow-tail
butterfly, only of course very much smaller.
Five different kinds of these butterflies are found in the British
Islands, but only two of them are at all common. For the Green
Hair-streak you should look on heaths, in open spaces in woods, on
grassy banks by the roadside, and in other places in which brambles
grow. You can easily tell it from all the other Hair-streaks by the
bright green colour of its lower surface, and also by its small size,
for it only measures about an inch across its outspread wings. The
caterpillar, which is light green or greenish-yellow in colour, with
a row of triangular yellow spots running along each side, feeds on
bramble shoots and blossoms. You may find it in July, and the butterfly
makes its appearance in May and June, and sometimes again in August.
PLATE VIII
THE PURPLE HAIR-STREAK (2)
This is the commonest of the Hair-streak butterflies, for there is
scarcely a wood in which oak trees grow in which you may not find it.
But it is quite easy to walk through a wood without seeing it, for it
nearly always flies at some little height from the ground. And besides
this it is very fond of sitting on leaves and basking in the sun, not
moving for some little time unless it is disturbed. The male is much
handsomer than the female, for the whole upper surface of the wings,
except just the margin, is of the richest possible purple, which seems
to shine and glisten in the light, while in his mate there is only a
purple blotch in the middle of the wings.
The caterpillar of this butterfly is a most odd little creature, and
really looks much more like a little fat slug. It is reddish-brown in
colour, with a number of black marks upon its back. You may sometimes
find it clinging to oak leaves, on which it feeds. When it is fully
grown it generally descends to the ground, buries itself just below the
surface, and turns into a fat little brown chrysalis, from which the
butterfly appears in July.
[Illustration: PLATE IX
1. Small Copper
2. Common Blue]
PLATE IX
THE SMALL COPPER (1)
This is a very pretty little butterfly indeed, for the upper surface
of its front wings is of the richest and most glossy reddish-brown,
just like the colour of burnished copper, with nine black spots in the
middle, and a narrow blackish border. The hind-wings are dark brown,
with a broad band of copper running along the margin. It is very
plentiful indeed, and you may see it in hundreds by the roadside, or
on heaths and in waste places, darting to and fro in the hot sunshine,
gambolling with the pretty little “blue” butterflies, or resting on the
lilac blossoms of scabious plants. And it has no less than three broods
in each year, the first appearing in April, the second in June, and the
third in August and September.
The caterpillar of this pretty little butterfly is bright green in
colour, with a red stripe running along each side, and another along
its back. It feeds on the leaves of sorrel plants, and turns into a
whitish chrysalis speckled with black and brown.
Perhaps you may wonder why this insect is called the “Small” Copper.
The reason is that there used to be a much larger butterfly, which was
very much like it, and which was called the “Large Copper.” But this
has not been taken for a great many years.
PLATE IX
THE COMMON BLUE (2)
Everybody knows the pretty little “Blue” butterflies, which one sees
playing about in such numbers in meadows and by grassy roadsides, all
through the summer and the early part of the autumn. But there are
several different kinds of these insects, and that which one generally
sees is the Common Blue. The male and the female are not quite alike,
for the wings of the male are lilac blue all over, while those of the
female are much browner, with a row of orange spots running along the
hind margin. And the under surface of the male is grey, while that of
the female is brown. But, strange to say, “Blues” are sometimes found
with the colouring of the male on the wings of one side, and that of
the female on those of the other!
The caterpillar of this pretty little butterfly is rather hairy, and
is bright green in colour, with a dark stripe running along the back,
and a row of little white spots on each side. It feeds on bird’s-foot
trefoil, rest-harrow, and other low plants, and turns into a small
green chrysalis tinged with brown.
[Illustration: PLATE X
1. Brown Argus
2. Clifton Blue]
PLATE X
THE BROWN ARGUS (1)
Although this pretty little butterfly belongs to the family of the
“blues,” it has no trace of blue in its colouring at all, but is dark
brown above, with a row of orange spots along the margin of both the
front and the hind-wings, and either grey or reddish-brown below. It is
very common in most places, and more especially on chalky downs, where
you may often see it gambolling about in company with two or three
“common blues.” And you may also see it flitting about in almost any
meadow, just when the hay is ready for cutting. It appears twice in the
year, first in May, and then again in August.
In shape, the caterpillar of this butterfly is rather like a fat little
slug. It is covered with short white hairs, and is green in colour,
with a dark brown stripe along the back, and a narrow pink streak on
either side. You may sometimes find it feeding upon the leaves of the
hemlock, stork’s-bill, and sun-cistus. And when it has finished growing
it turns into a little green chrysalis with a deep pink stripe on each
side.
PLATE X
THE CLIFTON BLUE (2)
This is one of the loveliest of all our British butterflies, for the
upper side of the wings of the male is of the brightest and most vivid
blue, like that of the sky on a glorious summer’s day, with a white
line running along the front margin, and a black line along the hind
one. The female, however, is not nearly so handsome, her wings being
smoky brown all over, with only just a few blue scales on the parts
nearest to the body. The lower surface of the wings, both in the male
and the female, is greyish-brown, with a number of black spots edged
with white.
If you want to see this beautiful butterfly, you must hunt for it
either in May or in August on the chalky downs in the south of England,
and in the Isle of Wight. But it is one of the “local” butterflies, and
although you may find it quite commonly in one or two places, you may
search for it elsewhere for years, and yet never meet with it at all.
The caterpillar of the Clifton Blue, or “Adonis Blue,” as it is
sometimes called, is green, with yellow streaks. It feeds on trefoils
and vetches, and other low plants.
[Illustration: PLATE XI
1. Chalk-hill Blue
2. Little Blue]
PLATE XI
THE CHALK-HILL BLUE (1)
You cannot possibly mistake the male of this butterfly for any other
insect, for the upper surface of both its front and hind-wings is of
the most beautiful silvery greenish-blue colour, shading off into a
blackish band along the hind border. In fact, as a great naturalist
once said, it always makes one think of a bright moonlight night, while
the “Clifton blue” reminds one of the sky on a clear summer’s day. But
the female is so exactly like that of the “Clifton blue” that it is
hardly possible to tell the one from the other.
This lovely butterfly is hardly ever found except on chalky downs, and
is commonest in the south of England. It flies in July and August. If
you want to find the caterpillar, you must look for it in May and the
early part of June. It feeds upon bird’s-foot trefoil and kidney-vetch,
and looks rather like a fat little green woodlouse, with six yellow
stripes upon its back and sides; and if you look at these stripes
closely, you will see that they are really made of rows of tiny yellow
spots. About the middle of June it fastens itself to the stem of its
food-plant by spinning a silken band round its body, and then turns
into a greenish-brown chrysalis.
PLATE XI
THE LITTLE BLUE (2)
This is a very tiny insect indeed. In fact, it is by far the smallest
of all our British butterflies, and you might easily pass it by, over
and over again, without noticing it, for it is not at all brightly
coloured. The female is dark brown above, without any orange spots on
the hind-wings, and even the male has only a faint tinge of blue in
the middle of his wings. Underneath, both male and female are plain
greyish-drab, with rows of tiny black spots enclosed in whitish rings.
So you will have to look for it very carefully indeed if you want to
see it. It is double-brooded--that is, it makes its appearance twice
in the year, first in May, and then again in August. And you may see
it flying about in meadows and on heaths, more especially in chalky or
limestone districts.
The caterpillar of this odd little butterfly, like that of the
chalk-hill blue, is shaped like a tiny woodlouse, and is green in
colour, with an orange stripe running along its back, and another
on each side. It feeds upon kidney-vetch, or “woundwort,” as it is
sometimes called, and turns into a little yellow chrysalis, marked with
three rows of black spots.
This butterfly is sometimes known as the Bedford Blue.
[Illustration: PLATE XII
1. Azure Blue
2. Brimstone]
PLATE XII
THE AZURE BLUE (1)
I do not know why this pretty butterfly is called the “Azure” Blue; for
azure is a very bright blue indeed, and yet the insect is not nearly
so brilliantly coloured as the Clifton blue. Indeed, it is lilac in
colour, rather than blue. But sometimes it is called the “Holly Blue,”
and that is a very much better name for it; for one often sees it
flying along by the side of holly hedges, while the caterpillar feeds
upon holly blossoms, as well as upon those of buckthorn and ivy. It
is the first of all the “blues” to appear in the spring, and you may
sometimes see it even in April. And generally there is another brood
towards the end of the summer.
You can easily tell the female of this butterfly from the male, for
her front wings have a broad black border, while that on the wings of
her mate is very narrow indeed. The caterpillar is greenish-yellow in
colour, with a black head and black legs, and a bright green streak
running along the middle of the back. When it has reached its full size
it turns into a small yellowish-brown chrysalis.
PLATE XII
THE BRIMSTONE BUTTERFLY (2)
This very handsome insect is common in almost all parts of the country,
and is one of the very first butterflies to be seen in the spring. On
warm, sunny days in March, or even in February, you may often meet
with it. For it is one of those butterflies which “hibernate”--that
is, it comes out of the chrysalis in the summer or early autumn, and
then sleeps all through the winter in some snug retreat, from which it
is always ready to come out for an hour or two when the weather is a
little warmer and finer than usual.
The male Brimstone is a good deal handsomer than the female, for his
wings are of a bright daffodil colour, while those of his mate are
pale greenish-yellow. The caterpillar feeds on the young leaves of
buckthorn bushes, and is dull green in colour, sprinkled all over with
tiny black spots, from each of which sprouts a slender white bristle,
and the chrysalis, which is fastened by a silken belt round its body to
a twig of the food-plant, is bright apple-green marked with yellow and
purple-brown.
[Illustration: PLATE XIII
1. Clouded Yellow
2. Pale Clouded]
PLATE XIII
THE CLOUDED YELLOW (1)
I wonder if you have ever seen this very handsome butterfly alive.
Very likely you have not, for although just now and then it is very
common indeed, it nearly always becomes quite scarce for several years
afterwards, and you may look for it summer after summer without seeing
it at all. It makes its appearance in August and September, and the
best places in which to look for it are clover and lucerne fields near
the seaside. But it is also very fond of flying about on railway banks;
and if you try to chase it _there_ you will find that you will have to
run very hard indeed if you want to catch it! In fact, one butterfly
collector used to say that it was of no use trying to do so unless one
wore a pair of seven-leagued boots!
The caterpillar of the Clouded Yellow butterfly is of a bright
grass-green colour, with a white line on each side, marked with yellow
and orange. It feeds on the leaves of lucerne, trefoils, and clover in
June and July, and then changes into a green chrysalis shaped something
like that of a “large white,” with a pale yellow stripe on each side,
and a number of black and reddish-brown spots.
PLATE XIII
THE PALE CLOUDED YELLOW (2)
Sometimes this butterfly is known as the Clouded Sulphur. It appears
in the same places, and at the same time of the year, as the “clouded
yellow,” but is hardly ever quite as common. Generally, indeed, you may
see ten or twelve “clouded yellows” to one Pale Clouded Yellow. You can
easily tell it by its much paler colour, for its wings are quite light
yellow instead of rich orange, while sometimes one meets with a Pale
Clouded Yellow which is really almost white. And, besides that, the
black border of the upper wings, instead of being nearly the same width
all the way along, is very broad at the top and very narrow at the
bottom, while even in the male it is marked with several yellow spots.
This pretty butterfly is quite a seaside insect, and sometimes it
may be seen fluttering over the waves a long way out from the shore.
Indeed, there seems to be very little doubt that now and then it flies
right across the Straits of Dover, and reaches this country from France!
The caterpillar of the Pale Clouded Yellow is olive-green in colour,
sprinkled with black dots, and with two yellow lines along its back and
another on each side. It feeds on clovers and trefoils.
[Illustration: PLATE XIV
1. Swallow-tail
2. Swallow-tail Caterpillar]
PLATE XIV
THE SWALLOW-TAIL (1 and 2)
This is the finest of all our British butterflies, and a most beautiful
creature it is as it flits to and fro in the sunshine. But I am afraid
that you are not very likely to see it alive, for it is only found in
the fens of Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, while even there it is not as
common as it used to be. But if ever you spend a summer holiday in the
Norfolk Broads you may, perhaps, see one of these lovely butterflies
flying swiftly past you.
The caterpillar is almost as handsome as the butterfly. It is bright
green in colour, with velvety-black rings, which are spotted with red.
And just behind its head it has an odd little forked organ, from which
it pours out a drop of liquid when it is frightened. This liquid has a
very nasty smell, and no doubt it prevents birds from feeding upon the
caterpillar.
This caterpillar feeds upon hog’s fennel, wild carrot, and marsh
milk-parsley. When it has reached its full size it climbs up the stem
of a reed, fastens itself to it by spinning a kind of silken belt round
its body, and turns into a yellowish-green chrysalis, from which the
butterfly appears during the following summer.
PLATE XV
THE ORANGE TIP (1 and 2)
You must often have noticed this very pretty insect flying about in the
spring, for it is quite common in almost all parts of the country. And
you cannot possibly mistake the male for any other butterfly, because
of the large patch of orange-yellow at the tips of the front wings.
But the female is without this orange patch, so that you might easily
take her for one of the small white butterflies. If you can look at her
closely, however, you will notice that in the middle of her front wings
she has a small black spot shaped just like the crescent moon, and that
the lower surface of her hind-wings is marbled with yellowish-green.
The caterpillar of this pretty butterfly feeds upon cuckoo-flower, or
“lady’s smock,” as it is sometimes called, and also upon hedge-garlic,
tower mustard, and yellow rocket. In colour it is green, with a white
stripe running along each side of its body. When it is fully fed it
fastens itself by a silken belt to the stem of its food-plant, and
turns into a long, slender, greenish-brown chrysalis, shaped like a
bow, from which the butterfly appears in the following May.
[Illustration: PLATE XV
1. Orange Tip, Male
2. Orange Tip, Female]
PLATE XVI
THE LARGE WHITE (1 and 2)
This is a very common butterfly indeed, and even in towns you may often
see it flying about. Indeed it is much too common, for its caterpillars
feed upon the leaves of cabbages and cauliflowers, to which they
sometimes do most terrible mischief. I dare say that you have seen
these plants so stripped by the caterpillars of “Garden Whites,” as
these butterflies are often called, that they look just like skeletons,
only the mid-ribs and the veins being left remaining. And in some
summers these caterpillars are so plentiful that hardly a single
cabbage or cauliflower escapes.
You can easily recognise this butterfly by its size; and you can tell
the female from the male by the two black spots and the narrow black
streak upon her front wings. The caterpillar is green in colour, shaded
on each side with yellow, and is dotted all over with tiny black spots,
from each of which springs a hair. When it has reached its full size
it leaves its food-plant, fastens itself to a wall, or a fence, or
a door-post, or the trunk of a tree, and turns into a rather stout
bluish-white chrysalis, sprinkled with blackish spots. The butterfly
may be seen in May, and again in August.
PLATE XVI
THE SMALL WHITE (3 and 4)
This butterfly is even commoner than the last. Indeed, two butterflies
out of every three which you see on a warm summer’s day are almost
sure to be Small Whites, and they are always very plentiful indeed in
gardens, where their caterpillars often do a great deal of mischief.
You can easily tell them from the caterpillars of the “large white,”
for they are pale green in colour, with a yellow line running down the
middle of the back, and a dotted line of the same colour on either
side. And instead of having short, stiff hairs all over their bodies,
they are covered with a kind of very soft down. They, too, feed upon
cabbages and cauliflowers, but instead of eating away the outer leaves
only, like those of the “large white,” they bore their way right into
the very heart of the plants, and often quite spoil them for use as
human food. Very often, too, you may find them feeding on the leaves of
nasturtiums, and also on those of mignonette.
This butterfly, like the last, appears in the early spring, and again
in summer, and you can tell the female from the male by the two black
spots upon her front wings. The chrysalis is sometimes green in colour,
and sometimes yellow, and sometimes light or reddish-brown.
[Illustration: PLATE XVI
1. Large White
2. Large White Caterpillar
3. Small White
4. Small White Caterpillar
5. Green-veined White, under-side]
PLATE XVI
THE GREEN-VEINED WHITE (5)
From a little distance you might very easily mistake this butterfly for
a “small white”; for it is of just the same size, and the upper surface
of its wings is marked in almost exactly the same way. But if you
happen to see it sitting with its wings closed, you will notice at once
that the veins on the lower surface of the hinder pair are streaked
with green or grey. It is not quite as common as the “small white,” but
you may see it flying about in almost any part of the country in May,
and again in August.
This butterfly lays its eggs on hedge-garlic, and also on winter-cress
and sometimes on water-cress. They are most beautiful little objects if
you look at them through a microscope, for they are shaped just like
little tiny sugar-loaves, with ridges running down them from the top to
the bottom, and smaller ridges crosswise between them. The caterpillars
which hatch out of them are darker green above and lighter green below,
with a row of little black spots on either side, each of which is
enclosed in a yellow ring; and the chrysalis is green, sprinkled all
over with the tiniest possible black spots.
PLATE XVII
THE GRIZZLED SKIPPER (1)
Skipper butterflies are common enough in almost all parts of the
country; yet very few people ever seem to notice them. The reason is
that they hardly look like butterflies at all. They look much more like
little grey or brown moths. Yet they are really butterflies, for if you
look at them closely you will see that their feelers have little knobs
at the tips. And that is one of the marks of a butterfly.
It is very easy to see why these little insects are called “Skippers,”
for they seem to _skip_ from flower to flower in a manner quite unlike
the flight of any other butterfly. And the Grizzled Skipper is one
of the commonest of them all. You may see it darting about in May,
and again in August, in open grassy places in woods. But it only
seems to live for a short time, so that although it may be flying
about in numbers one day, two or three days later it will have quite
disappeared. The caterpillar is sometimes green and sometimes brown in
colour, with paler lines along its back and sides. It feeds for a few
weeks on bramble-leaves, and then turns into a dull white chrysalis
spotted with black.
[Illustration: PLATE XVII
1. Grizzled Skipper
2. Dingy Skipper
3. Large Skipper
4. Small Skipper]
PLATE XVII
THE DINGY SKIPPER (2)
This little butterfly certainly deserves its name. One cannot call it a
pretty insect, for it is just dull, dingy brown all over, with just a
faint grey band running across the middle of the wings. So unless you
look very carefully for it you are not likely to see it. It does not
live in woods, like the “grizzled skipper,” but flies about on flowery
chalk banks in the sunshine, first in May, and then again in August.
And sometimes you may see it in numbers in an old chalk-pit, never
resting on one flower for more than a very few moments, but skipping
about in the most active way from one blossom to another.