Photographs of Greek Butterflies

Butterflies & Moths

"The so-called psyche or butterfly is generated from caterpillars that grow on green leaves, chiefly leaves of the raphanus, which some call crambe or cabbage."

Aristotle, "The History of Animals"

Butterflies and moths belong to the order Lepidoptera, a term derived from the Greek words "lepion", meaning scale, and "pteron" (pl. "ptera"), meaning wing. In other words, butterflies and moths are scaly-winged insects.

It is these scales that provide the wing color and pattern, but they are easily detached; if you touch the wings, you will find scales on your fingers. Thus, butterflies and moths that have been flying around for several weeks often look drab and worn, as a result of losing many of their scales.

Anyway, enough said. Scroll on down and enjoy pictures of the dazzling butterflies that abound the Pelion peninsula.


		Iphiclides podalirius Take a look at the Scarce Swallowtail, a large distinctive butterfly, which may be scarce in the U.K., but is one of the commonest in Greece and Pelion.
		Papilio machaon View images of the Common Swallowtail, one of Pelion's largest, most beautiful butterflies, and find out what it looks like in the larval stage.
		Pararge aegeria Enjoy a picture of the Speckled Wood, another very common butterfly that usually hangs out around woodland edges and clearings.
		Melitaea didyma Look at some nice photographs of a mating Spotted Fritillary couple, as well as of various individuals in different poses. By the way, the species name, didyma, means twins in Greek.
		Melitaea cinxia Check out the Glanville Fritillary, a pretty little butterfly that abounds the flowery meadows of Mt. Pelion.
		Kirinia roxelana Browse through images of the Lattice Brown, an interesting butterfly, endemic to the Balkans, with an apparently very limited distribution range.
		Pieris rapae Peek at photos of the Small White, a plain little butterfly, whose larvae feed on cabbage and related plants and can, therefore, become serious pests.
		Saturnia pyri View pictures of the Great Peacock Moth, Europe's largest moth, which is often mistaken for a bat owing to its size. Page includes photos of larva and imago.
		Macroglossum stellatarum Enjoy pictures of the Hummingbird Hawkmoth, a fascinating creature that hovers like a hummingbird, but looks like a fish suspended in mid-air.
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