Saturday, 24 March 2012

Butterflies

Speckled wood


The list of butterflies seen on Menorca runs to 27 species but a few are historic records where the butterflies only exist in museum colections as mounted specimens and so are unlikely ever to be seen in the wild again. Those that you can see in the wild today is 23 species.

Whites
Clouded Yellow


Browns


Monachs
The plain tiger is a migrant that is sometimes seen on Menorca.


Blues.




Geranium Bronze sitting on a geranium leaf, Cala Alcaufa, Menorca
The Geranium bronze is not a native to Minorca. In 1990 was introduced, accidentally, to Majorca on imported Pelargonium from South Africa. The butterflies quickly spread to Minorca and other islands as well as to southern Spain and Italy. They are often seen in gardens on geranium plants.

Photes of many of Menorcas butterflies and other wildlife can be found on the Flikr group   of Menorcan Wildlife