10088 Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly

by Colin Hunt

Title

10088 Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly

Artist

Colin Hunt

Medium

Photograph - Photograph

Description

Macro photograph of a Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly.

The Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly is probably the most common butterfly in Great Britain. The adult hibernates over winter and re-emerges in March to lay its eggs on the underside of stinging-nettle leaves. The caterpillars are black and yellow with the first generation butterflies emerging in June/July and then a second generation emerging in August/September. This butterflies favourite plants include buddleia, aubretia and common thistle.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The group comprises the large superfamily Papilionoidea, which contains at least one former group, the skippers (formerly the superfamily "Hesperioidea") and the most recent analyses suggest it also contains the moth-butterflies (formerly the superfamily "Hedyloidea"). Butterfly fossils date to the Paleocene, which was about 56 million years ago.

Butterflies have the typical four-stage insect life cycle. Winged adults lay eggs on the food plant on which their larvae, known as caterpillars, will feed. The caterpillars grow, sometimes very rapidly, and when fully developed, pupate in a chrysalis. When metamorphosis is complete, the pupal skin splits, the adult insect climbs out, and after its wings have expanded and dried, it flies off. Some butterflies, especially in the tropics, have several generations in a year, while others have a single generation, and a few in cold locations may take several years to pass through their whole life cycle.

Butterflies are often polymorphic, and many species make use of camouflage, mimicry and aposematism to evade their predators. Some, like the monarch and the painted lady, migrate over long distances. Many butterflies are attacked by parasites or parasitoids, including wasps, protozoans, flies, and other invertebrates, or are preyed upon by other organisms. Some species are pests because in their larval stages they can damage domestic crops or trees; other species are agents of pollination of some plants. Larvae of a few butterflies (e.g., harvesters) eat harmful insects, and a few are predators of ants, while others live as mutualists in association with ants. Culturally, butterflies are a popular motif in the visual and literary arts.


This artwork has been featured within the following groups:

Butterflies on Flowers-25 (July 2014)

Groovy Butterflies (May 2015)

The 200 Club - photos with over 200 views up to 500 (2nd November 2015)

Arts Fantastic World (3rd November 2015)

200 Plus views only (5th February 2016)

All Natural Beauty Of This World (26th March 2017)

Photographers From Around The World (26th March 2017)

Your Very Best Photography (29th March 2017)

500 Views -1 Image a Day (8th April 2017)

Images That Excite You (8th April 2017)

500 And Beyond Fine Art Group (8th April 2017)

Animals PHOTOS ONLY (10th April 2017)

500 Views Share Group (22nd August 2017)

The SPACE Between (22nd August 2017)

Self-promotion Skills For Artists (22nd August 2017)

The World We See Group (24th August 2017)

10 Plus (4th September 2017)

Animal Photographs (4th September 2017)

KINGDOM Animalia (7th September 2017)

Wildlife ONE A DAY (4th October 2017)

Insects And Creepy Crawlies-25 (8th October 2017)

Macro Marvels (19th November 2017)

Macro Photography Only (20th November 2017)

Art District (22nd November 2017)


Featured as Showcase Artist of the week in Wisconsin Flowers And Scenery group on the 13th April 2017.

Uploaded

July 26th, 2014

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