looduskalender.ee

 

 

To many of us ringlets are old friends: our most common and also most numerous brown butterfly. Our summer weather is as it is, but ringlets are in flight on cloudy days too, even in drizzle when other butterflies stay in hiding. The span of the wings stays at 3 to 4 centimetres; the wing fringes are uniformly white. On flowers they allow themselves to be studied and show the upper as well as underside of the wings. The upper wing surface of the males may look quite black and when they are seen on mating flights they may seem a little smaller – this much about the differences between sexes. The upper surface of the wings is embellished by two yellow-edged eye patches (sometimes they are brighter, sometimes less noticeable).

 

We may come across ringlets in all kinds of open landscapes, meadows, road verges or drier hayfields. By August the looks of ringlets are already quite worn and tattered. The flight period started around Midsummer in southern Estonia, on the northern shore  only a few weeks ago.

 

We have about 15 species of ringlets, but recognizing the widely occurring common ringlet makaes similar species easier to find in the „Päevaliblikate määraja (Butterfly guidebook)“ in the ringlet tables.

 

  

Brimstone: LINK

Essex skipper: LINK