Moth/Butterfly

[moorve]

Hi.

My cousin photographed this on the Norfolk Broads the other day. We have both tried identifying it using at least 4 books and so far have had no luck which is weird considering how many ID pointers there are in the picture.

Sods law dictates that we've probably gone past it in every book but we certainly looked at each page thoroughly.

Thanks for you help.

Moorve

[Paul L]

... your unidentified lep is a Ringlet - a tatty one - and definitely a butterfly! Which book(s) are you using?!

Cheers,

Paul

[moorve]

i'm using 'Collins Complete British Insects', Collins Butterfly Guide, RSPB Wildlife of Britain and a small book about moths and butterflies. You're right about it being tatty. Most of the pictures show it with a different shape and a different number of spots. Weird.

[Paul L]

... they do occasionally show variation in number of spots (in threes rather than in pairs) but, apart from that, this is a 'classic' Ringlet.

Cheers,

Paul