Hello everyone!

These past few week’s the KAOS group have been exploring all of our outside area and keeping track of what different insects we have including moths and butterflies!

Check out our pictures and information below about each of the butterflies and moths we’ve seen so far.

Peacock Butterfly

The Peacock Butterfly is a brightly coloured butterfly that can lay up to 500 eggs.

Cinnabar Moth

The Cinnabar Moth is a moth that is usually nocturnal but can be seen during the day time. Cinnabar caterpillars can be found on ragwort leaves and are bright orange and black.

Marbled White

The Marbled White butterfly is usually found in long undisturbed grass and has a preference for purple flowers. 

Large White – Female

The Large White – female is often found in gardens or farmlands. They are common and the females have two black dots on their wings.

Small Skipper – Male

The Small Skipper is 25mm and buzzes around as it flies. The male has the dark line on its top wings. It has red antennae.

Red Admiral

The Red Admiral is a large butterfly that has bold colours and loves to be around nettles.

Black Arches Moth-Male

The Black Arches Moth is often viewed as a forest pest and has a 1 year life cycle. They lay brown eggs which they hide in the bark of trees.

Ringlet Butterfly – Female

The Ringlet Butterfly has distinct rings on their wings and the female has much brighter markings. They lay their eggs by flying in mid air and throwing them into the ground.

Buff Ermine Moth

The Buff Ermine Moth is creamy yellow with a line of black dots.They have a furry body and furry legs.They feed on lots of plants and shrubs.

Speckled Wood Butterfly

The Speckled Wood Butterfly is very similar to a ringlet butterfly however can be identified by the darker colour and the bright splodges of yellow/beige on the inside.

Gatekeeper Butterfly-Female

The Gatekeeper Butterfly often feeds on flowers of bramble.They live in colonies and don’t move around that much.The caterpillars hibernate through winter.

Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly

The Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly hibernates aswell. If you find it in your house, you should ‘rescue it’ and put it in your shed. This will help it survive the winter.

Comma Butterfly-Female

The Comma Butterfly looks a lot like a dead leaf. This helps it with camouflage. Females are less ragged than males.

Meadow Brown Butterfly

The Meadow Brown Butterfly is the most common butterfly in Great Britain. Make sure you don’t mix it up with Ringlet and Gatekeeper butterflies!