CRASH COURSE IN BUTTERFLY IDENTIFICATION © Tomás Murray 2015 Photograph/catch and release One of the fastest ways of gaining confidence with identification. To avoid damaging the butterfly, make sure you place enough tissue paper in the container to ensure the butterfly crawls, rather than flies, within. For help with identification: 1. Email your butterfly photo to: [email protected] 2. Post a photo to our Facebook page: Monitoring Ireland’s Insects 3. Buy an identification swatch: http://www.biodiversityireland.ie/home-page/shop/ 4. There’s a smart phone app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.bi odiversityireland.butterfly Andrew Fenner has developed a freely available Android smart phone app – download from Google Play Once you know what species you’ve seen, not matter how common or rare….. Don’t forget to submit the record! http://records.biodiversityireland.ie/ Bits of a butterfly Head Antenna Eyespot Forewing Thorax Abdomen Hindwing © Rodney Daunt Bits of a butterfly Forewing Hindwing Outer margin © Fionn Moore Browns © Colin Stanley © Oisín Duffy Ringlet – Aphantopus hyperantus Learn these two species 1st – once you get to know them you won’t get mixed up with any other browns! © Liam Lysaght © Oisín Duffy Speckled Wood – Pararge aegeria Browns © Colin Stanley Ringlet – Aphantopus hyperantus © Liam Lysaght Speckled Wood – Pararge aegeria © Rodney Daunt © Oisín Duffy Meadow Brown – Maniola jurtina Next most important brown to learn – once you know this one, the other three ‘difficult’ browns are easy! Note the lack of colour on the upperwing and ‘tea stain’ pattern on the underwing © Rodney Daunt © Oisín Duffy Meadow Brown – Maniola jurtina Orange/light brown on the upperwing broken into distinct ‘panels’ with small eyespots on the hind wing. © Michael Bell © Rodney Daunt Wall Brown – Lasiommata megera © Rodney Daunt © Oisín Duffy Meadow Brown – Maniola jurtina © Michael Bell Wall Brown – Lasiommata megera © Rodney Daunt © Oisín Duffy Meadow Brown – Maniola jurtina Much more orange/light brown on the upperwing and two white spots in the eyespot © Fionn Moore © Fionn Moore Gatekeeper – Pyronia tithonus © Rodney Daunt © Oisín Duffy Meadow Brown – Maniola jurtina © Fionn Moore Gatekeeper – Pyronia tithonus © Rodney Daunt © Oisín Duffy Meadow Brown – Maniola jurtina Much more orange/light brown on the upperwing and very cryptic underwing. Mostly found in areas with exposed rock. © Toon Verbruggen © Fionn Moore Grayling – Hipparchia semele © Rodney Daunt © Oisín Duffy Meadow Brown – Maniola jurtina © Toon Verbruggen Grayling – Hipparchia semele © Rodney Daunt © Oisín Duffy Meadow Brown – Maniola jurtina Half the size of the Meadow Brown! The upperwing is also uniform light brown/orange. © Toon Verbruggen © Oisín Duffy Small Heath – Coenonympha pamphilis © Rodney Daunt © Oisín Duffy Meadow Brown – Maniola jurtina © Toon Verbruggen Small Heath – Coenonympha pamphilis © Rodney Daunt © Oisín Duffy Meadow Brown – Maniola jurtina Very rare – mostly on intact raised bog habitats. Approx. same size of the Meadow Brown, but eyespots on the underwing. Like the Small Heath, the upperwing is uniform © Chris Martin light brown/orange. Large Heath – Coenonympha tullia © Rodney Daunt © Oisín Duffy Meadow Brown – Maniola jurtina © Chris Martin Large Heath – Coenonympha tullia http://butterflies.biodiversityireland.ie [email protected] Don’t forget to submit your records! http://records.biodiversityireland.ie/ Thank you to all the recorders who kindly allowed us to use their photographs for this guide!.