A Peacock Butterfly, Aglais io, on a Buddleja flower, showing the underside of its wing.
Peacock Butterflies are brightly coloured and it is believed that their eye spots have evolved to confuse potential predators, or perhaps to scare them when the wings are fluttered. As shown in this image, the underside of the butterfly’s wings are much darker and less distinctively marked. This means that they can more easily flash their eye spots when they are in danger.
This butterfly was photographed in my garden. Although I have planted a variety of pollinator flowers, and although the Buddlejas seem to be flowering earlier and earlier each year, spreading their very sweet scent over a considerable distance, the Peacock Butterflies never arrive before the end of August.
They are common throughout most of the UK and Ireland, as well as much of temperate Europe and Asia, as far east as Japan.
This image is copyright © Liz Leyden, all rights reserved.
It is for sale as wall art or as various home or personal accessories at Pixels.com.
My original photo of a Peacock Butterfly is available to license as a stock photo from iStock.
