SMALL HEATH BUTTERFLY (Coenonympha pamphilus) Lullymore West Bog, Lullymore, Co. Kildare, Ireland

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The Small Heath Butterfly (Coenonympha pamphilus) is of the family Nymphalidae which is in the genus Coenonympha.

SILVER WASHED FRITILLARY BUTTERFLY (Argynnis paphia) Lullymore West Bog, Lullymore, Co. Kildare, Ireland

 

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The Silver-washed Fritillary Butterfly (Argynnis paphia) is of the family Nymphalidae which is in the genus Argynnis. This very large species occurs throughout the temperate regions of the Palearctic. In Britain, it is found in the southern half of England and Wales. It has a very scattered distribution in Ireland.

Eggs are laid in tree crevices close of it's larval foodplant Common Dog-violet (Viola riviniana). The larvae hatch in August and immediately hibernate. They emerge the following April and then feed on the foodplant. Pupation occurs during May and the adult flight season is from July to late September.

Patrick J. O'Keeffe / Raw Birds

MEADOW BROWN BUTTERFLY (Maniola jurtina) on COMMON KNAPWEED WILDFLOWER (Centaurea nigra) Lullymore West Bog, Lullymore, Co. Kildare, Ireland

 

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The Meadow Brown Butterfly (Maniola jurtina) is of the family Nymphalidae which is in the genus Maniola.

The Common Knapweed Wildflower (Centaurea nigra) or Lesser Knapweed is of the family Asteraceae which is in the genus Centaurea.

SMALL COPPER BUTTERFLY (Lycaena phlaeas) on DEVIL'S BIT SCABIOUS WILDFLOWER (Succisa pratensis) Lullymore West Bog, Lullymore, Co. Kildare, Ireland

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The Small Copper Butterfly (Lycaena phlaeas) is of the family Lycaenids  which is in the genus Lycaena.

The Devil's-bit Scabious Wildflower (Succisa pratensis) is of the family Caprifoliaceae which is in the genus Succisa.

GREEN HAIRSTREAK BUTTERFLY (Callophrys rubi) Lullymore West Bog, Lullymore, Co. Kildare, Ireland

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The Green Hairstreak Butterfly (Callophrys rubi) is of the family Lycaenidae which is in the genus Callophrys. This small butterfly has a widespread distribution in Europe, Asia and northern Africa. When seen in flight, with its dull brown upper wings, it can easily be confused with darker coloured species. When not feeding it lands on green foliage always resting with the wings closed, revealing the iridescent green underwing. With this camouflage, it can be surprisingly difficult to spot. The flight season can extend from late March to early August but has a much shorter season in the northern part of its range.

Patrick J. O'Keeffe / Raw Birds

SMALL TORTOISESHELL BUTTERFLY (Aglais urticae) Lullymore West Bog, Lullymore, Co. Kildare, Ireland

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The Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly (Aglais urticae) is of the family Nymphalidae which is in the genus Aglais. It has a widespread distribution in the Palearctic region but is absent from southern Asia. The caterpillars (larvae) feed on Common Nettle (Urtica dioica). Overwintering as an adult, its cryptic under wing pattern helps to avoid detection. It emerges from hibernation in late spring to lay eggs on its larval plant.

Patrick J. O'Keeffe / Raw Birds

CRYPTIC WOOD WHITE BUTTERFLY (Leptidea juvernica) on HERB ROBERT WILDFLOWER (Geranium_robertianum) Lullymore West Bog, Lullymore, Co. Kildare, Ireland

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The Cryptic Wood White Butterfly (Leptidea juvernica) is of the family Pieridae which is in the genus Leptidea.

The Herb Robert Wildflower (Geranium_robertianum) is of the family Geraniaceae which is in the genus Geranium.

CRYPTIC WOOD WHITE BUTTERFLY (Leptidea juvernica) [Pair, courtship display by male on left with extended proboscis] Lullymore West Bog, I.P.C.C. Nature Reserve, Lullymore, Co. Kildare, Ireland

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The Cryptic Wood White Butterfly (Leptidea juvernica) is of the family Pieridae which is in the genus Leptidea.

GREEN VEINED WHITE BUTTERFLY (Pieris napi) Lullymore West Bog, IPCC Nature Reserve, Lullymore, Co. Kildare, Ireland

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The Green-veined White Butterfly (Pieris napi) is of the family Pieridae which is in the genus Pieris. It commonly occurs in Eurasia as well as North America. This species is on the wing from March to October, over several generations, but in Ireland the normal flight season extends from mid April to mid September. It hibernates during the winter as a chrysalis.

Patrick J. O'Keeffe / Raw Birds

SMALL TORTOISESHELL BUTTERFLY (Aglais urticae) Lullymore West Bog, IPCC Nature Reserve, Lullymore, Co. Kildare, Ireland

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The Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly (Aglais urticae) is of the family Nymphalidae which is in the genus Aglais. It has a widespread distribution in the Palearctic region but is absent from southern Asia. The caterpillars (larvae) feed on Common Nettle (Urtica dioica). Overwintering as an adult, its cryptic under wing pattern helps to avoid detection. It emerges from hibernation in late spring to lay eggs on its larval plant.

Patrick J. O'Keeffe / Raw Birds

SMALL TORTOISESHELL BUTTERFLY [Caterpillars] (Aglais urticae) Lullymore West Bog, I.P.C.C. Nature Reserve, Lullymore, Co. Kildare, Ireland

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The Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly (Aglais urticae) is of the family Nymphalidae which is in the genus Aglais. It has a widespread distribution in the Palearctic region but is absent from southern Asia. The caterpillars (larvae) feed on Common Nettle (Urtica dioica). Overwintering as an adult, its cryptic under wing pattern helps to avoid detection. It emerges from hibernation in late spring to lay eggs on its larval plant.

Patrick J. O'Keeffe / Raw Birds

SPECKLED WOOD BUTTERFLY (Pararge aegeria) Lullymore West Bog, I.P.C.C. Nature Reserve, Lullymore, Co. Kildare, Ireland

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The Speckled Wood Butterfly (Pararge aegeria) is of the family Acanthosomatidae which is in the genus Pararge. This is a very common species and is found throughout the Palearctic region. It occurs in a wide variety of habitats including urban gardens with a preference for shaded areas. Overwintering either as a lava or a pupa enables an extended flight season from April to October.

Patrick J. O'Keeffe / Raw Birds

CRYPTIC WOOD WHITE BUTTERFLY (Leptidea juvernica) Lullymore West Bog, I.P.C.C. Nature Reserve, Lullymore, Co. Kildare, Ireland

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The Cryptic Wood White Butterfly (Leptidea juvernica) is of the family Pieridae which is in the genus Leptidea.

MARSH FRITILLARY BUTTERFLY (Euphydryas aurinia) Lullymore West Bog, I.P.C.C. Nature Reserve, Lullymore, Co. Kildare, Ireland

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The Marsh Fritillary Butterfly (Euphydryas aurinia) is of the family Nymphalidae which is in the genus Euphydryas. It has a wide distribution in the Palearctic region and is protected under Annex II of the European Union Habitats and Species Directive. The gregarious larvae overwinter in a silken web formed at the base of the larval host plant Devil’s-bit Scabious (Succisa pratensis). In mid March they emerge from hibernation and disperse prior to pupation in late April. Three to four weeks later, the adults appear and are on the wing until late June or early July. After mating the female lays batches of up to 300 eggs on the underside of the leaves of the host plant. The larvae hatch in mid June and then form a new silken web from which they feed on the leaves of the host plant before the hibernation period begins.

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DINGY SKIPPER BUTTERFLY (Erynnis tagesi) Lullymore West Bog, I.P.C.C. Nature Reserve, Lullymore, Co. Kildare, Ireland

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The Dingy Skipper Butterfly (Erynnis tages) is of the family Hesperiidae which is in the genus Erynnis. It occurs in Europe and most of western Asia. The flight season is normally from late April to early June but in the warmer parts of its range there is a second generation on the wing during July and August.

Patrick J. O'Keeffe / Raw Birds

GREEN HAIRSTREAK BUTTERFLY (Callophrys rubi) Lullymore West Bog, I.P.C.C. Nature Reserve, Lullymore, Co. Kildare, Ireland

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The Green Hairstreak Butterfly (Callophrys rubi) is of the family Lycaenidae which is in the genus Callophrys. This small butterfly has a widespread distribution in Europe, Asia and northern Africa. When seen in flight, with its dull brown upper wings, it can easily be confused with darker coloured species. When not feeding it lands on green foliage always resting with the wings closed, revealing the iridescent green underwing. With this camouflage, it can be surprisingly difficult to spot. The flight season can extend from late March to early August but has a much shorter season in the northern part of its range.

Patrick J. O'Keeffe / Raw Birds

LANG'S SHORT TAILED BLUE BUTTERFLY (Leptotes pirithous) Albufera Marsh, Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain

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The Lang's Short-tailed Blue (Leptotes pirithous), also known as Common Zebra Blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae which is genus Leptotes. This migratory species occurs in southern Europe, most of Africa including Madagascar and southern Asia.

CLEOPATRA BUTTERFLY [Male] (Gonepteryx cleopatra subspecies G. c. balearica) Albufera Marsh, Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain

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The Cleopatra Butterfly (Gonepteryx cleopatra) or simply called Cleopatra is a medium sized butterfly of the family Pieridae which is in the genus Gonepteryx. It occurs in Southern Europe, Northwest Africa as well as Turkey and parts of the Middle East. In Europe, this long lived species is on the wing from April to August. There are 10 subspecies recognised and the subspecies Gonepteryx cleopatra balearica is endemic to the Balearic Islands, Spain.

Text © Patrick J. O'Keeffe / Raw Birds.com

The Cleopatra Butterfly is divided into the following subspecies:

•     Gonepteryx cleopatra cleopatra  – North Africa, Portugal, Spain, Sicily
•     Gonepteryx cleopatra balearica  – Balearic Islands
•     Gonepteryx cleopatra petronella  – Ibiza
•     Gonepteryx cleopatra italica  – Italy, France, Corsica,  Sardinia
•     Gonepteryx cleopatra dalmatica  – Dalmatian coast, western Balkans
•     Gonepteryx cleopatra citrina  – southern Greece
•     Gonepteryx cleopatra insularis  – Crete
•     Gonepteryx cleopatra fiorii  – Rhodes
•     Gonepteryx cleopatra taurica  – Anatolia, Syria, Jordan, Israel, Cyprus
•     Gonepteryx cleopatra palmata  – Cyrenaica, Libya

 Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gonepteryx_cleopatra

CLOUDED YELLOW BUTTERFLY (Colias croceus) Albufera Marsh, Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain

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The Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) is a migratory butterfly of the family Pieridae which is in the genus Colias. It is one of the most-widespread species in Europe. The breeding range extends from North Africa and southern Europe eastwards through Turkey into the Middle East. It occurs throughout the rest of Europe as a summer migrant, in good years individuals reaching Scandinavia. In Asia, its range extends into central Siberia in the north and into India in the south but it is absent from Central Asia.

Source:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colias_croceus

SPECKLED WOOD BUTTERFLY (Pararge aegeria) Akrotiri Peninsula, Crete, Greece

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The Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae which is one of three species in the genus Pararge. It is commonly found throughout much of the Palearctic ecozone, but is absent from the colder northern regions.