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Butterfly

wildlife, gardening, environment, Rural living, Pets and Vets
XFool
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Butterfly

#177561

Postby XFool » November 1st, 2018, 10:52 am

For some time I have had a butterfly living in my kitchen, on or very close to the window. I originally assumed it was a moth but now - vertically folded wings and 'baton' type antenna - believe it to be a butterfly. It has shown no apparent inclination to move on, despite my opening the window. Yesterday it did move onto the window ledge during the day but still showed no desire to move on. Seems to me unlikely weather for a butterfly to be out in the open. Later it moved back inside.

The folded wings are green, as is the 'fur' covering its body. When open, the top of the wings are paler, possibly cream coloured with some irregular dark areas around the edges. Can anyone suggest a likely variety as I haven't been able to definitely identify it. What is it doing at this time of year, apart from very little?

bungeejumper
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Re: Butterfly

#177570

Postby bungeejumper » November 1st, 2018, 11:17 am

Hoping to make it through to the spring, so that its kids and grandkids can destroy your cabbages. Some of them have got to!

My wife once kept a butterfly alive through the winter with sugar water, which it apparently enjoyed. It was all going so well until its wings dropped off. Bye bye love, bye bye happiness. :cry:

BJ

Slarti
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Re: Butterfly

#177591

Postby Slarti » November 1st, 2018, 12:08 pm

We had butterflies out in the garden over the weekend and at least on dragonfly (or damselfly, could tell for sure at that distance)

Just saying.

Slarti

Breelander
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Re: Butterfly

#177623

Postby Breelander » November 1st, 2018, 2:31 pm

XFool wrote:For some time I have had a butterfly living in my kitchen, on or very close to the window.... The folded wings are green, as is the 'fur' covering its body.


Five of our 59 resident species of butterfly spend the winter as hibernating butterflies...
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/featur ... his-winter

...yours is a Brimstone.

Image The Brimstone usually hibernates amongst tangles of bramble or ivy in sheltered, sunny places. They emerge on the first days of spring sunshine, when the temperature reaches 13°C.

XFool
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Re: Butterfly

#177658

Postby XFool » November 1st, 2018, 5:23 pm

Thanks, Breelander. That looks a likely match. Seems then that it may be with me for quite some months yet!

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Re: Butterfly

#177663

Postby Breelander » November 1st, 2018, 5:45 pm

Ideally it would want to hibernate in some dense foliage (like ivy) in a sunny spot. You may want to catch it and release it outdoors so it can find one...

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Re: Butterfly

#177733

Postby bungeejumper » November 2nd, 2018, 9:04 am

A bit off-topic, but I gather that hummingbird hawk moths are now starting to overwinter in the UK. Instead of our having to rely on fresh supplies being blown up from the Mediterranean every summer.

We saw three in our garden this year. (Or it may have been the same one three times, I suppose.) Who says there's no upside to global warming? 8-)

BJ

XFool
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Re: Butterfly

#177809

Postby XFool » November 2nd, 2018, 2:17 pm

Breelander wrote:Ideally it would want to hibernate in some dense foliage (like ivy) in a sunny spot. You may want to catch it and release it outdoors so it can find one...

...Fluttered off today through open window.

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Re: Butterfly

#178870

Postby sg31 » November 7th, 2018, 9:30 pm

bungeejumper wrote:A bit off-topic, but I gather that hummingbird hawk moths are now starting to overwinter in the UK. Instead of our having to rely on fresh supplies being blown up from the Mediterranean every summer.

We saw three in our garden this year. (Or it may have been the same one three times, I suppose.) Who says there's no upside to global warming? 8-)

BJ


They are wonderful creatures. When I lived on the south coast I saw my first one and spent a very happy hour watching it. I'd no idea what it was but a quick search on the internet soon identified it. I saw a few more but now I'm in the midlands I've not seen any.

Global warming do your stuff.


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