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Peacock

 

 

The imagos of the second generation of the present ”Butterfly of the Year” can be seen in flight, and as usual from the second half of July onwards.

 

Still rare about 70 years ago, by now it is common in forest as well as cultured landscapes, and thanks to its characteristic looks, easily  recognizable even from far off.

 

The peacock imagos are longlived and eye-catching; wing span up to 6 ½ centimetres; if you meet a pair and one of them is slightly larger then most probably it is the female. Upper wing surfaces rust red, large bluish- purple wing patches gleam on them and are meant to discourage enemies; the outer surfaces of the wings are slightly jagged and the wing fringes black. The peacock is well worth a closer study or photo – there are more colours to discover on this beautiful butterfly.

 

A specimen with closed wings blends into nature – we only see the dark and densely patterned wing undersides, on which the eye patches may gleam through faintly.

 

See also the story of the spring generation: LINK

 

Stamps displaying nature are a favourite theme of many philatelists: LINK

 

The campaign for nature observations lasts until the end of September LINK