Butterfly/moth identification

Tweetypie

Tweetypie

Member
Joined
May 13, 2018
Messages
693
Reaction score
1
Location
Nottinghamshire
I don't have a photo, unfortunately, but saw a blood red, small butterfly or moth in my garden yesterday. The shape of the wings were butterfly style. No other markings. I would say it was only an inch in size. The odd thing is, when walking in the forest last night, my husband spotted another one! It didn't settle on any plant to photograph. Ive googled, but the only one like it is the Glider butterfly, which is not native. Anyone know what it could be? It was pillarbox red.
 
Could it be a cinnabar moth? See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinnabar_moth
and images https://www.google.com/search?rls=en&q=cinnabar+moth+images&tbm=isch&source=univ&client=safari&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiixc_DkcjiAhU7TxUIHYfhDPkQ7Al6BAgAEA0&biw=1280&bih=689
 
No, I looked at that one in google. It's all red, no other colour and it's wings were shaped like a butterfly. I hope I see it again. It was the most unusual thing ive seen, because of the colour.
 
It's possible it was a rare variation of the cinnabar moth, see https://alchetron.com/Cinnabar-moth as some of them have much more red on the forewings than is normal. As this article says, 'There is little variation although on rare occasions the pinkish markings are replaced with yellow, or the forewing is red with a black border or the wings are completely black. Easily disturbed by day and flies in sunshine. Also flies after dark. ' - flying after dark is unusual for a species that flies in sunshine and this fits your description.
There is no British species that is entirely red, but if you only had the chance to see it flying around, the wings would have been more fully spread than when it rested on a plant, which I expect is what you mean by 'butterfly shaped.' Maybe you saw an individual with more red on the forewings than usual - interesting - but the red is so distinctive on a cinnabar moth that you may perhaps have just not seen the black parts when it was moving.
The other possibility is the burnet moth, but this typically has spots on its wings, so probably not that.
 
I wish I had seen it again today. When i saw it yesterday, it was around 8pm, still daylight, it was in a meadow, outside the Sherwood Pines forest. It was definitely bright red, with butterfly shaped wings, not like a month. In my garden, when I saw it, it landed, but flew off quickly, flapping its wings very quickly. There didnt appear to he any other colour. I was within a few feet if it. I so wish I'd seen it again today. Never mind, one mystery that can't be solved.
 
How close are the two sites where you saw it? i.e, could it have been the same individual, or maybe more than one? ? Very interesting. I suppose it's possible that someone had hatched a foreign species from a kit and set it free, or it could have arrived somehow else from abroad, like the birds that get twitchers all excited. Do keep looking and get a pic if you can.
Was it like this? https://www.learnaboutbutterflies.com/Africa%20-%20Cymothoe%20mabillei.htm
Central African, not v. likely here, as you say.
 
It could be something blown across on warm winds. Or the all red form of Cinnabar Moth, they are about at the moment. You could try finding a wildlife sightings blog or page for the area, which might have something on it. Hope you can get a pic.
saw two lovely Clouded Yellows yesterday
 
I envy you. Butterfly’s are rarer than hens teeth here.
Takes me back to my childhood though. Buddleia bushes heaving with butterflies, maybe six or eight different species. Does that still happen down south or have butterflies had population crashes too?
 
How about Ruby Tiger Moth, it is a day flying moth and widespread across UK.
Populations have crashed here also. wall browns used to be common around here now they are a major rarity. There is a colony along the river by Tilbury but that whole area has just been cleared for the 2nd Thames crossing.
Definite lack of Small Copper also. other species numbers are also low
 
Hi Marigold
Sorry for the late response. The butterfly was approximately 2-3 miles from each site, perhaps closer as "the crow flies" and potentially could be the same one.
I first saw it in the afternoon in my garden and then in a meadow near a forest about 4 hours later. My husband saw it, too. It was very small. Ive searched online everywhere but cannot find anything the same size or that belongs to UK. The closest type in colour is the Glider butterfly, native to Africa, but that's too big. Thats the one you mentioned.
Imagine this in pillar box red and this would be the correct size and shape....
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/893969-Mesene-philonis
 

Attachments

  • Butterfly.jpg
    Butterfly.jpg
    38.1 KB · Views: 685
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top