Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper
These two when you're starting out can be a bit tricky as they often fly together at similar sites but there are some 'golden' rules for their identification...however there are also plenty of exceptions to these rules (particularly the number of pupils in the fore wing 'eyes'). Luckily as both are quite numerous you can quickly become quite experienced and if you can, try and get topside views as these allow you to distinguish the species much more easily. You can also use size as Meadow Browns have an average wing span about a centimetre greater than the Gatekeeper.
Topside
1 - Gatekeeper topside, male and then female for comparison.
2 - Gatekeeper male topside. This shows the double pupil eye on the fore wing. The dark upward curved or diagonal sex brand or androconial organ on the fore wing mean that this is a male. On the hind wing there is an orange panel and there are 'eyes' - dark spots with white pupils.
3 - Gatekeeper male topside the details highlighted; the two pupils in the fore wing eye, the curved/diagonal sex brand and the 'eyes'on the hind wing panel.
4 - Meadow Brown male topside. By contrast the Meadow Brown is much more uniform and often darker in colour than the Gatekeeper. The eye on the fore wing generally has a single pupil. The androconial organs often blend in with the uniform ground colour of the fore wing but when visible they appear straighter than those of the Gatekeeper. There is no orange panel on the hind wing and there are no 'eyes' present here either. Still looking at the hind wing you can see there is only the slightest of scalloping along the edge of the wing, it almost looks rounded - this is a way of separating the sexes when they are closed up...
5 - Meadow Brown male topside the details highlighted; single pupil in the fore wing eye (generally), uniform ground colour and lacking eyes on the rounded and only slightly scalloped hind wing, and straighter sex brands.
6 - Gatekeeper female topside. The fore wing is mainly orange in colour as the female lacks the sex brands and this orange is a single large block of colour. The eye on the fore wing has two pupils and again, as in the male, there are eyes on the hind wing at the edge of the orange panel.
7 - Gatekeeper female topside the details highlighted; slab of orange colour on the fore wing, double pupil and orange panels with eyes on the hind wings.
8 - Meadow Brown female topside. The female is large and brighter than the male but nowhere near as bright as a female Gatekeeper as she lacks their bright slab of orange on the fore wings. The eye generally has a single pupil and is embedded in a flash of orange which fades at about half way across the wing. There are (generally) no orange panels in the hind wings and no eyes here either but the hind wings are strongly scalloped.
9 - Meadow Brown female topside the details highlighted; orange fore wing flash, eye often with a single pupil and uniform coloured hind wing which is heavily scalloped.
I keep referring to 'generally' particularly when referring to the number of pupils in the eye spots as there are plenty of exceptions to the rules and in fact these seem to be turning up more and more as people like to find unusual specimens.
1 - Gatekeeper topside, male and then female for comparison.
2 - Gatekeeper male topside. This shows the double pupil eye on the fore wing. The dark upward curved or diagonal sex brand or androconial organ on the fore wing mean that this is a male. On the hind wing there is an orange panel and there are 'eyes' - dark spots with white pupils.
3 - Gatekeeper male topside the details highlighted; the two pupils in the fore wing eye, the curved/diagonal sex brand and the 'eyes'on the hind wing panel.
4 - Meadow Brown male topside. By contrast the Meadow Brown is much more uniform and often darker in colour than the Gatekeeper. The eye on the fore wing generally has a single pupil. The androconial organs often blend in with the uniform ground colour of the fore wing but when visible they appear straighter than those of the Gatekeeper. There is no orange panel on the hind wing and there are no 'eyes' present here either. Still looking at the hind wing you can see there is only the slightest of scalloping along the edge of the wing, it almost looks rounded - this is a way of separating the sexes when they are closed up...
5 - Meadow Brown male topside the details highlighted; single pupil in the fore wing eye (generally), uniform ground colour and lacking eyes on the rounded and only slightly scalloped hind wing, and straighter sex brands.
6 - Gatekeeper female topside. The fore wing is mainly orange in colour as the female lacks the sex brands and this orange is a single large block of colour. The eye on the fore wing has two pupils and again, as in the male, there are eyes on the hind wing at the edge of the orange panel.
7 - Gatekeeper female topside the details highlighted; slab of orange colour on the fore wing, double pupil and orange panels with eyes on the hind wings.
8 - Meadow Brown female topside. The female is large and brighter than the male but nowhere near as bright as a female Gatekeeper as she lacks their bright slab of orange on the fore wings. The eye generally has a single pupil and is embedded in a flash of orange which fades at about half way across the wing. There are (generally) no orange panels in the hind wings and no eyes here either but the hind wings are strongly scalloped.
9 - Meadow Brown female topside the details highlighted; orange fore wing flash, eye often with a single pupil and uniform coloured hind wing which is heavily scalloped.
I keep referring to 'generally' particularly when referring to the number of pupils in the eye spots as there are plenty of exceptions to the rules and in fact these seem to be turning up more and more as people like to find unusual specimens.
Underside
1 - Gatekeeper underside. The 'eye' on the fore wing has a double pupil. The hind wing has a lighter panel with white spots. These can vary in number; I've seen Gatekeepers with 3, 4, 5 ,6 and 7 of these white spots and I've also encountered them with streaks a little like the paint has run.
2 - Gatekeeper underside the details highlighted; double pupil eye and the light panel with white spots.
3 - Meadow Brown underside. The 'eye' on the fore wing has a single pupil. The hind wing in this case is almost a uniform colour and there are no white spots. There are black spots and these can vary, with some having none and others several. The current school of thought is that these spots serve to distract predators. The more rounded edge to the hind wing suggests that this is a male.
4 - Meadow Brown underside the details highlighted; single pupil and no panel or white spots.
5 - Meadow Brown underside. Again a single obvious pupil (although there is the hint of a second beware of this ;-)) and no white spots. This individual has a more 'two-tone' ground colouration. The scalloping along the edge of the hind wing suggests that this is a female.
6 - Meadow Brown underside the details highlighted; scalloping along the edge of the hind wing.
1 - Gatekeeper underside. The 'eye' on the fore wing has a double pupil. The hind wing has a lighter panel with white spots. These can vary in number; I've seen Gatekeepers with 3, 4, 5 ,6 and 7 of these white spots and I've also encountered them with streaks a little like the paint has run.
2 - Gatekeeper underside the details highlighted; double pupil eye and the light panel with white spots.
3 - Meadow Brown underside. The 'eye' on the fore wing has a single pupil. The hind wing in this case is almost a uniform colour and there are no white spots. There are black spots and these can vary, with some having none and others several. The current school of thought is that these spots serve to distract predators. The more rounded edge to the hind wing suggests that this is a male.
4 - Meadow Brown underside the details highlighted; single pupil and no panel or white spots.
5 - Meadow Brown underside. Again a single obvious pupil (although there is the hint of a second beware of this ;-)) and no white spots. This individual has a more 'two-tone' ground colouration. The scalloping along the edge of the hind wing suggests that this is a female.
6 - Meadow Brown underside the details highlighted; scalloping along the edge of the hind wing.
Variations...
The various identification guides that I've read have often pointed out that the Gatekeeper doesn't show that much variation whereas the Meadow Brown does...To a certain extent I agree with this in that Gatekeepers don't often stray far from the typical form, they stick to the same theme. That being said they do show variation on this theme. As for Meadow Browns I reckon that I could do a whole website just on their range of variation - there's the number of black spots, the type of fore wing eye (one or two spots), the ground colour etc etc. When it comes to identifying the more unusual looking examples I suggest a best fit approach. So here are a sample of variants to test out the 'golden rules' already covered.
1 - Gatekeeper, male. Still has slab of orange on fore wing with curved/diagonal sex brand and orange panels on the hind wings.
2 - Gatekeeper, male details highlighted - single eye in fore wing pupil and no 'eyes' on hind wing.
3 - Gatekeeper, female. Not sure if this is an ab.excessa or ab.multiocellata? Either way it's not short in the eye or dot department!
4 - Gatekeeper, female details highlighted - extra 'eyes' on the hind wing and extra black dots on the forewing.
5 - Meadow Brown, female. This is an ab.bioculata as it has two pupils in the apical eye spot. Its still a Meadow Brown though as there are no eyes on the hind wing, it lacks the orange panel on the hind wing and there is only the orange flash on the fore winga nd not the solid slab of orange colour seen in a Gatekeeper.
6 - Meadow Brown, female details highlighted - uniform coloured hind wing and two pupils in the fore wing eye.
7- Meadow Brown, female. This could be ab.nuragiformis as it has an orange panel on the hind wings but it is still Meadow Brown as there is only a single pupil in the fore wing eye, there are no eyes on the hind wing and there isn't a slab of orange in the fore wing only a flash.
8 - Meadow Brown female details highlighted - single pupil in the eye and the panel of orange.
9 - Meadow Brown male this is a male despite the slight flashes of orange as the sex brand can be seen.
10 - Meadow Brown male the ab.antiparvipuncta (possibly) as it's 'blind'.
11 - 13 - These three images show the variation in the ground colour from grey to blond two tone and even overly orange. However they all have a single pupil and all lack the white spots on the hind wing so they're all Meadow Browns (11 = male, 12 = female and 13 = male).
The various identification guides that I've read have often pointed out that the Gatekeeper doesn't show that much variation whereas the Meadow Brown does...To a certain extent I agree with this in that Gatekeepers don't often stray far from the typical form, they stick to the same theme. That being said they do show variation on this theme. As for Meadow Browns I reckon that I could do a whole website just on their range of variation - there's the number of black spots, the type of fore wing eye (one or two spots), the ground colour etc etc. When it comes to identifying the more unusual looking examples I suggest a best fit approach. So here are a sample of variants to test out the 'golden rules' already covered.
1 - Gatekeeper, male. Still has slab of orange on fore wing with curved/diagonal sex brand and orange panels on the hind wings.
2 - Gatekeeper, male details highlighted - single eye in fore wing pupil and no 'eyes' on hind wing.
3 - Gatekeeper, female. Not sure if this is an ab.excessa or ab.multiocellata? Either way it's not short in the eye or dot department!
4 - Gatekeeper, female details highlighted - extra 'eyes' on the hind wing and extra black dots on the forewing.
5 - Meadow Brown, female. This is an ab.bioculata as it has two pupils in the apical eye spot. Its still a Meadow Brown though as there are no eyes on the hind wing, it lacks the orange panel on the hind wing and there is only the orange flash on the fore winga nd not the solid slab of orange colour seen in a Gatekeeper.
6 - Meadow Brown, female details highlighted - uniform coloured hind wing and two pupils in the fore wing eye.
7- Meadow Brown, female. This could be ab.nuragiformis as it has an orange panel on the hind wings but it is still Meadow Brown as there is only a single pupil in the fore wing eye, there are no eyes on the hind wing and there isn't a slab of orange in the fore wing only a flash.
8 - Meadow Brown female details highlighted - single pupil in the eye and the panel of orange.
9 - Meadow Brown male this is a male despite the slight flashes of orange as the sex brand can be seen.
10 - Meadow Brown male the ab.antiparvipuncta (possibly) as it's 'blind'.
11 - 13 - These three images show the variation in the ground colour from grey to blond two tone and even overly orange. However they all have a single pupil and all lack the white spots on the hind wing so they're all Meadow Browns (11 = male, 12 = female and 13 = male).
Large and Small White
The Whites can be confusing as there are a number of species that fly in the UK. Listed below are some identification features that can be used to differentiate Large and Small White as these are the most difficult to identify in the field. That being said one way that I use is to look at the size. The largest Large Whites are huge whilst the smallest Small Whites are tiny so when dealing with those near the extremes you even identify them whilst they're flying. Another technique that the Large Whites often fly strongly up high whereas the Small Whites often flutter around keeping low to the ground so you can almost trip over them. That being said these are generalizations and I often use these techniques to give me a heads up and then confirm identification using the features detailed below...
Topside
1 - Large White male, very dark black tips to the wing and the black extends from the apex almost half way down the fore wing (Termen) and a third of the way down the other side (Costa). The most obvious feature and the one which makes it easiest to identify is the lack of spots on the fore wing - there is just an expanse of white nicely contrasted with the almost shiny black of wing tips.
2 - Large White male, this highlights the features above.
3 - Small White male, the wing tips are a much lighter black, with more white freckles through them not the solid, deep black of the Large White. Also the wing tip markings don't extend anywhere near as far down the wing (Termen) possibly only a far as a fifth of the way down. It makes a short almost flat triangle. In the fore wings there a faint single spot . This is again not a solid black but is peppered with white flecks so it can appear grey. Sometimes this spot is very reduced and very occasionally is so small that it appears to be missing so then use the wing tips.
4 - Small White male, this highlights the features above.
5 - Large White female, again very dark tips to the wing with the same proportions as the male, the wing tips form almost a boomerang shape marking. On the fore wings there are two dark black spots and a black streak which runs parallel to the base of the fore wing. All are dark and obvious.
6 - Large White female, this highlights the features above.
7 - Small White female, again the wing tips appear like a charcoal grey due to the peppering of white scales among the black and the shape is the same as the male - a short, squat triangle. Like the female Large White the female Small White also has two spots which can sometimes be very dark (as in this case) but the streak is again less well defined and appears as a grey colour so it is much less obvious.
8 - Small White female, this highlights the features above.
1 - Large White male, very dark black tips to the wing and the black extends from the apex almost half way down the fore wing (Termen) and a third of the way down the other side (Costa). The most obvious feature and the one which makes it easiest to identify is the lack of spots on the fore wing - there is just an expanse of white nicely contrasted with the almost shiny black of wing tips.
2 - Large White male, this highlights the features above.
3 - Small White male, the wing tips are a much lighter black, with more white freckles through them not the solid, deep black of the Large White. Also the wing tip markings don't extend anywhere near as far down the wing (Termen) possibly only a far as a fifth of the way down. It makes a short almost flat triangle. In the fore wings there a faint single spot . This is again not a solid black but is peppered with white flecks so it can appear grey. Sometimes this spot is very reduced and very occasionally is so small that it appears to be missing so then use the wing tips.
4 - Small White male, this highlights the features above.
5 - Large White female, again very dark tips to the wing with the same proportions as the male, the wing tips form almost a boomerang shape marking. On the fore wings there are two dark black spots and a black streak which runs parallel to the base of the fore wing. All are dark and obvious.
6 - Large White female, this highlights the features above.
7 - Small White female, again the wing tips appear like a charcoal grey due to the peppering of white scales among the black and the shape is the same as the male - a short, squat triangle. Like the female Large White the female Small White also has two spots which can sometimes be very dark (as in this case) but the streak is again less well defined and appears as a grey colour so it is much less obvious.
8 - Small White female, this highlights the features above.
Underside
1 - Large White, the wingtips from the topside are mirrored on the underside in yellow (same size and shape) but when the sun shines through the wings the topside markings are obvious.
2 - Large White, highlights the features above.
3 - Large White, this shows the wingtips to a greater extent but also the obvious black spot (almost a square) in the middle of the fore wing. It is bold, black and quite clearly defined.
4 - Small White, the wingtips from the topside are mirrored on the underside in yellow but the yellow continues slightly further down the wing than the black marking on the topside. There is also a spot but like most of the markings it is peppered with white and so looks a charcoal grey and is also smaller and less well defined than in the Large White.
5 - Small White, highlights the features above.
1 - Large White, the wingtips from the topside are mirrored on the underside in yellow (same size and shape) but when the sun shines through the wings the topside markings are obvious.
2 - Large White, highlights the features above.
3 - Large White, this shows the wingtips to a greater extent but also the obvious black spot (almost a square) in the middle of the fore wing. It is bold, black and quite clearly defined.
4 - Small White, the wingtips from the topside are mirrored on the underside in yellow but the yellow continues slightly further down the wing than the black marking on the topside. There is also a spot but like most of the markings it is peppered with white and so looks a charcoal grey and is also smaller and less well defined than in the Large White.
5 - Small White, highlights the features above.
High Brown and Dark Green Fritillaries
There are only a few sites in the UK where separating these two species can be a problem. If you're not at one of the few High Brown sites and you see a ginger beastie it's probably a Dark Green Fritillary although check that it's not a Silver Washed...If you're on the Continent or you are at one of the few High Brown sites then hopefully the following features will allow you to separate the two; the key is to look for spots...
Topside
1. High Brown Fritillary (HBF) - Line of spots indented from the third from the tip. Fore wing slightly concave, ever so slightly but actually more noticeable in the field.
2. HBF - The third spot from the tip is much reduced or in some cases is totally missing.
3. Dark Green Fritillary (DGF) - This is a male, a real bright ginger beastie and note how the the spots are in a straight line. The fore wing edge is straight.
4. DGF - This is a female, they're often duskier and have stronger markings than the males. Again the spots are in a straight line and the fore wings are ever so slightly convex.
1. High Brown Fritillary (HBF) - Line of spots indented from the third from the tip. Fore wing slightly concave, ever so slightly but actually more noticeable in the field.
2. HBF - The third spot from the tip is much reduced or in some cases is totally missing.
3. Dark Green Fritillary (DGF) - This is a male, a real bright ginger beastie and note how the the spots are in a straight line. The fore wing edge is straight.
4. DGF - This is a female, they're often duskier and have stronger markings than the males. Again the spots are in a straight line and the fore wings are ever so slightly convex.
Undersides
1. HBF - Plenty to see here to help with differentiation. First note the overall ground colour is a peachy brown with slightly darker orangy sections. The chevrons under the 'pearls' are a similar darker orangy brown. On the fore wing at the tip there is a similarly coloured block, when I say block it's can be some more of those chevron like markings in some cases. The most obvious feature to note is the extra set of red rimmed spots between the outer and middle strips of white spots.
2. HBF - The fore wing tip colour block and red rimmed spots are highlighted.
3. DGF - Ground colour is more beige and the darker sections range from lime to khaki green. The chevrons under the 'pearls' are a lime green. On the fore wing at the tip there are khaki chevrons or a colour block. There are no spots between the outer and middle strips of white spots and just the ground colour is obvious.
4. DGF - Colour block/chevrons at tip of fore wing and the missing section of spots highlighted.
5. DGF - This shows how the colour changes in different lighting. The lime greens and golden hues become khaki and much darker green in shadow.
1. HBF - Plenty to see here to help with differentiation. First note the overall ground colour is a peachy brown with slightly darker orangy sections. The chevrons under the 'pearls' are a similar darker orangy brown. On the fore wing at the tip there is a similarly coloured block, when I say block it's can be some more of those chevron like markings in some cases. The most obvious feature to note is the extra set of red rimmed spots between the outer and middle strips of white spots.
2. HBF - The fore wing tip colour block and red rimmed spots are highlighted.
3. DGF - Ground colour is more beige and the darker sections range from lime to khaki green. The chevrons under the 'pearls' are a lime green. On the fore wing at the tip there are khaki chevrons or a colour block. There are no spots between the outer and middle strips of white spots and just the ground colour is obvious.
4. DGF - Colour block/chevrons at tip of fore wing and the missing section of spots highlighted.
5. DGF - This shows how the colour changes in different lighting. The lime greens and golden hues become khaki and much darker green in shadow.
Female Adonis and Chalkhill Blues
Differentiating between the males of these two species from a view of the topside couldn't be easier really the females however can be very tricky. One useful thing to remember is that the two species fly at different times of the year only. The first brood Adonis are at first during May/June and are normally 'over' by the time the Chalkhills start emerging (end of July). As in a lot of species the males often emerge first but this still means that the female Chalkhills will be worn, tired and tatty by the time the second brood Adonis start emerging. So a rough stab at identification can be made by considering the time of year of the sighting.
Topsides
1. Female Adonis - Several features to note here. First the blue scaling on the wings - I've never seen this on Chalkhills. Also the ground colour is a deep, dark almost black brown. In some lights this can appear almost blue/black and when the butterfly is in flight they can appear black. There are orange lunules on the fore wings (although these are not always present) and the chequers on the fringes are 'neat' and tidy looking this is a personal observation and something I've only noticed recently. Finally the most important feature - the lunules on the hind wing are enclosed by blue scales.
2. Female Adonis - Similar features - blue scaling, dark ground colour, bright orange lunules, tidy chequers and lunules are enclosed in blue.
3. Female Adonis - The tidy chequers and lunules enclosed in blue are highlighted.
4. Female Chalkhill - Altogether more 'muted' look. There is no blue scaling. The ground colour is a much lighter, almost grey/brown. The lunules on the fore wings are more white smudges than anything else and those on the hind wings are pale (they can be bright and orange and often bigger than those on the Adonis but I've not encountered these) and reduced and the chequers on the wing fringes are 'smudged'. Finally the lunules on the hind wings are enclosed in white scales.
5. Female Chakhill - Similar features - no scaling, lighter brown/grey ground colour, muted orange lunules, smudged chequers and lunules enclosed by white scales. Also one other thing that I haven't used for a number of years - the dark spot in the middle of the fore wing is a 'C' in Chalkhills and oval in Adonis...
6. Female Chalkhill - The smudged chequers and lunules enclosed in white are highlighted.
1. Female Adonis - Several features to note here. First the blue scaling on the wings - I've never seen this on Chalkhills. Also the ground colour is a deep, dark almost black brown. In some lights this can appear almost blue/black and when the butterfly is in flight they can appear black. There are orange lunules on the fore wings (although these are not always present) and the chequers on the fringes are 'neat' and tidy looking this is a personal observation and something I've only noticed recently. Finally the most important feature - the lunules on the hind wing are enclosed by blue scales.
2. Female Adonis - Similar features - blue scaling, dark ground colour, bright orange lunules, tidy chequers and lunules are enclosed in blue.
3. Female Adonis - The tidy chequers and lunules enclosed in blue are highlighted.
4. Female Chalkhill - Altogether more 'muted' look. There is no blue scaling. The ground colour is a much lighter, almost grey/brown. The lunules on the fore wings are more white smudges than anything else and those on the hind wings are pale (they can be bright and orange and often bigger than those on the Adonis but I've not encountered these) and reduced and the chequers on the wing fringes are 'smudged'. Finally the lunules on the hind wings are enclosed in white scales.
5. Female Chakhill - Similar features - no scaling, lighter brown/grey ground colour, muted orange lunules, smudged chequers and lunules enclosed by white scales. Also one other thing that I haven't used for a number of years - the dark spot in the middle of the fore wing is a 'C' in Chalkhills and oval in Adonis...
6. Female Chalkhill - The smudged chequers and lunules enclosed in white are highlighted.
Undersides
The undersides are trickier to use when trying to differentiate between the two species so again I will often think about the time of year and use their general appearance. Failing that wait until they either start mating so that you can ID them via the male or wait for them to open up so you can get a look at the topside...
1. Female Adonis - Generally brighter with larger, brighter orange lunules and black spots around the margins and more clearly defined spotting on the rest of the wing.
2. Female Adonis - Highlighting the larger, brighter lunules.
3. Female Chalkhill - Generally less bright and the orange lunules and spots around the margins reduced and more 'pointed' looking.
4. Female Chalkhill - Highlighting the reduced marginal markings.
The undersides are trickier to use when trying to differentiate between the two species so again I will often think about the time of year and use their general appearance. Failing that wait until they either start mating so that you can ID them via the male or wait for them to open up so you can get a look at the topside...
1. Female Adonis - Generally brighter with larger, brighter orange lunules and black spots around the margins and more clearly defined spotting on the rest of the wing.
2. Female Adonis - Highlighting the larger, brighter lunules.
3. Female Chalkhill - Generally less bright and the orange lunules and spots around the margins reduced and more 'pointed' looking.
4. Female Chalkhill - Highlighting the reduced marginal markings.
Female Common Blue and Brown Argus
This isn't as much of a problem as it used to be. When I first started out there were plenty of brown female Common Blues about but over the years I've noticed that the female Common Blues have donned more and more blue some looking more blue than the males if that's possible. However there is always the tricky little one still out there trying to catch you out so here are a few pointers and tips to definitely differentiate them.
Topsides
Can be tricky particularly with older individuals so if you can get a look at the underside to confirm but there are some easy to differentiate individuals.
1. Female Common Blue - easy this one as it's got almost as much blue on it as a male! You can tell ti's not a male as it still has the orange lunules.
2. Female Common Blue - slightly more tricky this one as it's getting towards the browner end of the spectrum. However it has blue scales scattered across the wings and is blue near the body as well as the blue enclosing the lunules on the hind wings. Even the 'brownest' of female Common Blbues will have some blue on them, generally near the body/thorax.
3. Male Brown Argus - this should be easy as it's a male. The abdomen is thinner and longer with the anal tufts sticking out in line (and sometimes even past) the fringes on the hind wings.
4. Female (top) and male (bottom) Brown Argus - no blue scales on the wings or enclosing the lunules on the hind wings.
Can be tricky particularly with older individuals so if you can get a look at the underside to confirm but there are some easy to differentiate individuals.
1. Female Common Blue - easy this one as it's got almost as much blue on it as a male! You can tell ti's not a male as it still has the orange lunules.
2. Female Common Blue - slightly more tricky this one as it's getting towards the browner end of the spectrum. However it has blue scales scattered across the wings and is blue near the body as well as the blue enclosing the lunules on the hind wings. Even the 'brownest' of female Common Blbues will have some blue on them, generally near the body/thorax.
3. Male Brown Argus - this should be easy as it's a male. The abdomen is thinner and longer with the anal tufts sticking out in line (and sometimes even past) the fringes on the hind wings.
4. Female (top) and male (bottom) Brown Argus - no blue scales on the wings or enclosing the lunules on the hind wings.
Undersides
Differentiating between the two species is easier when viewing the undersides and the images show the three main sets of features to use.
1. Common Blue - the first two spots on the hind wing are arranged vertically, sometimes referred to as looking like an '8'.
2. Brown Argus - the first two spots are arranged vertically looking like an infinity symbol.
3. Common Blue - the spots are arranged in an arc.
4. Brown Argus - the spots are arranged like the Greek letter Omega.
5. Common Blue - the cell spot is present. Care needs to be taken with this as it isn't always visible and sometimes is entirely absent although I've never encountered this.
6. Brown Argus - there is never a cell spot.
Differentiating between the two species is easier when viewing the undersides and the images show the three main sets of features to use.
1. Common Blue - the first two spots on the hind wing are arranged vertically, sometimes referred to as looking like an '8'.
2. Brown Argus - the first two spots are arranged vertically looking like an infinity symbol.
3. Common Blue - the spots are arranged in an arc.
4. Brown Argus - the spots are arranged like the Greek letter Omega.
5. Common Blue - the cell spot is present. Care needs to be taken with this as it isn't always visible and sometimes is entirely absent although I've never encountered this.
6. Brown Argus - there is never a cell spot.
Pearl and Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary
The first image show the underside of the Pearl-bordered Fritillary (Pearl). This individual is more orangey than some but the colours range from the red through to orange and yellow. The marginal white spots are the 'pearls' that give this species it's name and they aren't enclosed in chevrons. The post-discal spots are not always black or obvious, highlighted in the second image.
One of the easiest ways to differentiate between the Pearl and Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary is the 'Ducks head'. Only the one panel in the middle of the hind wing is white, all the others have the same background colour and this along with the un-ringed black spot produces the image of a 'ducks head'. This is highlighted in the third image.
One of the easiest ways to differentiate between the Pearl and Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary is the 'Ducks head'. Only the one panel in the middle of the hind wing is white, all the others have the same background colour and this along with the un-ringed black spot produces the image of a 'ducks head'. This is highlighted in the third image.
The first image shows the underside of the Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary (Small Pearl), Boloria euphrosyne . It shows the different colour palette of the butterfly - less yellow more beige, less red and more maroon, less orange and more ochre. It has a more muted, less vibrant and slightly darker set of colours. The second image highlights the lack of the Duck head as the panels in this section of the wings are all white and not the general background colour. Also the black spot has a white ring around it.
The third image highlights the clearly defined and sometimes large black post-discal spots. Also the 'Pearls' have dark chevrons at their base which you don't see as well defined (if at all) on the Pearl.
The third image highlights the clearly defined and sometimes large black post-discal spots. Also the 'Pearls' have dark chevrons at their base which you don't see as well defined (if at all) on the Pearl.
The first image shows the topside of the Pearl. Note that the wings are rounded and the colour is a brighter/lighter ginger orange. Also on the fore and hind wings the submarginal chevrons are flying, they are separated from the markings of the margins. This is highlighted in the second image.
The third image shows the topside of the Small Pearl. Note that the wings are slightly more pointed and the overall colour is less vivid and a darker hue of orange. You can also see that on the fore and hind wings the submarginal chevrons are fused to the marginal markings looking to my mind like a row of little terraced houses. This is highlighted in the final image.
The third image shows the topside of the Small Pearl. Note that the wings are slightly more pointed and the overall colour is less vivid and a darker hue of orange. You can also see that on the fore and hind wings the submarginal chevrons are fused to the marginal markings looking to my mind like a row of little terraced houses. This is highlighted in the final image.
