PLATE VI1. Meadow-Brown2. Ringlet
PLATE VI
1. Meadow-Brown2. Ringlet
In almost all parts of the country, this is the very commonest of our British butterflies. From the beginning of June until quite the end of August you may see it in hundreds and hundreds, flying about in meadows, or along grassy banks by the roadside. And even on dull, gloomy days, when all other butterflies are hiding away in some snug retreat, it flits to and fro just as gaily as if the sun were shining brightly.
This is one of the butterflies in which the female is not quite like the male. For instead of having just a small dark spot with a white ring round it on each of the front wings, she has a large black spot with a little white dot in the middle. And round this is a patch of tawny yellow, which occupies nearly a quarter of the whole wing.
The eggs of the Meadow-brown butterfly are laid on different kinds of grass. When they hatch, the little caterpillars feed for about ten days, and then hide away among the roots, where they remain fast asleep until the following spring. In colour they are bright green, with a white stripe on each side, and when they are fully fed they turn into pale green chrysalids, marked all over with purple-black spots.
You can easily see why this butterfly is called the Ringlet, for on the lower surface of its wings it has a number of eye-like spots which are generally so close together that they form a sort of chain, made up of several rings. But the odd thing is that these spots vary very much indeed both in size and number. Generally there are eight quite large ones on each side, three on the front wings and five on the hind ones. But sometimes there are nine, and sometimes there are seven; and just now and then there are only three or four very tiny ones, while you may sometimes catch a Ringlet butterfly which has no spots at all. The upper surface of the wings is always dark smoky brown all over, with only a few very faint spots of a lighter colour.
The best place in which to look for Ringlet butterflies is in grassy paths through woods, where it is sometimes very common indeed. The caterpillars, which feed upon different kinds of grass, are very much like those of the “large heath.” But they only come out to feed during the night, so that if you want to find them you will have to look for them with a lantern. They are fully fed about the beginning of June, and the butterfly makes its appearance in July.