Introduction: During walks through the nature, not only flowers can be spotted by the wayside, but also the winged beauties, such as butterflies and other insects. I will be presenting some of these in the following pages
European peacock
In summer, the butterflies prefer red and blue/purple flowers. During the springtime they can also be found on the yellow flowers of willows, coltsfoot and dandelions. In Germany, the peacock butterflies are very widespread.
They can still be found late in the year, especially in autumn. There is also a hibernating generation of these butterflies.
The caterpillar of the european peacock are very attracted to the stinging nettle plant. These are among their main food plants. They live in large communities there
~ The european peacock was voted “Butterfly of the Year 2009” ~
Orange tip
The male orange tip is almost impossible to miss on meadows and in forests. The butterflies prefer cruciferous plants, such as the meadow foamwort, but also cultivated plants such as mustard. Both male and female butterflies have greenish markings on the underside of their wings.
~ The Orange tip was voted “Butterfly of the Year 2004” ~
Camberwell beauty
The wings of the Camberwell beauty have a very unique appearance among the native butterflies. Because of the dark (brown-red) colouring and the light band, it is often visible from a long distance. However, the butterflies are very shy and often fly away as soon as someone gets close.
~ To many, seeing the Camberwell beauty is a special kind of experience ~
The butterflies can occupy an area of up to 300 square metres as their “territory”. During the mating season, they defend this area fiercely. They are therefore among the few butterflies that can exhibit such a behaviour.
Silver-washed fritillary
The males of the Silver-washed fritillary are colored orange on the upper side and have black spots. The females of the butterfly are more brownish in color and are slightly smaller than the males.
Large cabbage white
The large cabbage white butterfly is one of the largest white butterfly species. The caterpillars, together with the small cabbage white butterflies, are considered to be among the largest pests on cabbage species, rapeseed and other cruciferous plants.
Small cabbage white
