Ok, ok... They don't have feathers, but they do have wings, they do lay eggs, they fly, they have a beak* and they do look nice. Butterflies and dragonflies provide a colourful flying distraction for many birders during the summer doldrums.
* Just made that up. They don't have a beak.
Recently, two new species of butterfly have been added to the Dingle Peninsula list. A small colony of Marsh Fritillary was discovered near Baile an Reannaigh last year, while Dark-green Fritillary was seen and photographed at Glanfahan just last week.
For all things butterfly, if you are interested, see www.butterflyireland.com. Check out their excellent distribution maps and see if you can add any others to the Kerry list.
Marsh Fritillary, Baile an Reannaigh, summer 2013 (Courtesy of Jill Crosher).
Larval web for the caterpillars of the Marsh Fritillary, Baile an Reannaigh, summer 2014 (Courtesy of Jill Crosher).
Dark-green Fritillary, Glanfahan, June18th 2014 (Davey Farrar).
