below the peacock Inachis io

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Nymphalidae. 5000 species world wide, 14 species in U.K. In the adults the first pair of legs is not used for walking. All in the family are strikingly marked.
Right, Polygonia c-album whose common name the comma comes from the white comma mark on the underside of its rear wing. The adult wingspan is 4.4 - 4.8 cm, and the males and females are the same except that the females usually have duller undersides to their wings.
The adults fly in June/July and there is a second generation flying in August which hibernate in the autumn. When these emerge in the late spring they mate. The irregular wing outline and the pattern of the undersides make the adult resemble a dead leaf. It is widespread throughout Europe, but confined to the southern half of the UK. The adult lives mainly in meadows but visits gardens.
Eggs are laid singly or in small groups on the upper surface of the leaves of the food plant in May and again in July/August. The eggs hatch after 2 - 3 weeks and feed for approximately 6 weeks. The caterpillar is black, spiny, with orange bands and a large white patch down the rear half of its back. This white patch makes it look rather like a bird dropping, so serves as camouflage. The larval food plants include hop and nettle. The caterpillars feed singly and can reach a length of 3.5 cm. Then they pupate suspended from the food plant. Adults emerge 2 - 3 weeks later.

Inachis io, the peacock butterfly,below left and right. The peacock is in the Nymphalidae family. , note the white tips to the antennae. The peacock hibernates as an adult, and has dark and dingy undersides to its wings (see right) camouflaging it as it hides in dark corners, often indoorsin sheds and other cool buildings. If disturbed during hibernation it will flash its wings to reveal the eyespots, and make a rustling noise to frighten off predators.
It emerges from hibernation in early spring and mates. Eggs are laid on the underside of the stinging nettle (Urtica dioica), the food plant, in May, and hatch about two weeks later. The caterpillars live together in a communal web until their final moult.
It takes about one month from egg hatch to final moult.
The caterpillars are black with small white dots and have long black spines on their back and sides. The final body length can reach 4.2 cm. They pupate separately suspended from plant stems. The adults emerge after around two weeks and feed. The adult males and females are alike, but the male is usually larger, the wingspan is 5.6 - 6.0 cm.

On the right Aglais urticae, the small tortoiseshell, another member of the Nymphalidae. The adults are fairly common from March - May and July - October. The caterpillar is black/brown and feeds on Urtica dioica, the stinging nettle. The adult hibernates over winter often in sheds and other cool buildings.

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Below left is a preserved specimen of the adult Danaus plexippus, the monarch butterfly, Nymphalidae. This butterfly is famous for its long-distance migrations, e.g. from Canada to Mexico. The caterpillars feed on milkweeds storing the poisons (cardiac glycosides) from the plant to make themselves unpalatable to predators. The adults also have the typical warning colouration of orange/black, as the poisons are still stored in their bodies. These poisons induce rapid vomiting, so that the predator can easily associate the unpleasant experience with the caterpillar/butterfly, and avoid them in future. It is found in North and South America, the Caribbean, Australia and New Zealand, and some even stray as far as western Europe. It overwinters as an adult in thick woods - often on Eucalyptus trees. The eggs are laid on milkweeds.

Danaus plixippus, Limenitis archippus , the viceroy butterfly, (below right), and a few other similar-looking butterflies are are often used as examples of Mullerian mimicry. All of the butterflies in the mimicry ring are distasteful and have similar warning colouration. This benefits not only