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| 1 | 2 |  » Stats |
Members: 50,136
Threads: 82,297
Posts: 852,918
Top Poster: glsammy (15,069)
| | Welcome to our newest member, kathyheel | |  | | 
13-05-2011, 05:37 PM
| | Knight Grand Cross of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 13,607
| |  Re: Black Butterfly ?
Quote:
Originally Posted by trixiedogclaire  I saw a black butterfly today which is why I found this site. It was tiny. about 4cm across the closed wings. when the wings were closed it's shape was a typical butterfly shape definately not a moth. It was flitting about on vetch and kept trying to hide. Any ideas? |
Welcome to WAB! Where abouts are you in the UK? This will be a big help as many species have a limited distribution within the country + also the habitat.
You mention a vetch, so if it was Kidney Vetch, Small Blue can look almost blackish + this is their food plant, so maybe your mystery butterfly. |
16-05-2011, 09:22 AM
| | New Member | | Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 5
| | | Re: Black Butterfly ?
I am in North Kent - Swanscombe. The habitat is a large meadow which used to be a gravel pit before is was filled in many years ago. Mainly grass with brambles, hawthorn, lupin bush/tree, common vetch, common broomrape and centaury (to name a few). It was much smaller than a blue. With wings closed it was purely black with two distinct lobes. About 6mm from top of top wing to bottom of bottom wing. I'm off to work now so I'll have another look where I saw it. |
16-05-2011, 05:10 PM
| | Knight Grand Cross of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 13,607
| | | Re: Black Butterfly ?
Quote:
Originally Posted by trixiedogclaire I am in North Kent - Swanscombe. The habitat is a large meadow which used to be a gravel pit before is was filled in many years ago. Mainly grass with brambles, hawthorn, lupin bush/tree, common vetch, common broomrape and centaury (to name a few). It was much smaller than a blue. With wings closed it was purely black with two distinct lobes. About 6mm from top of top wing to bottom of bottom wing. I'm off to work now so I'll have another look where I saw it. | You say smaller than a blue, but Small Blue is about as small as Uk butterflies get!  Maybe a species of moth if not? |
17-05-2011, 08:51 AM
| | New Member | | Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 5
| | | Re: Black Butterfly ?
Sorry didn't see it yesterday, I'll carry my camera and see if I can get a picture. |
17-05-2011, 05:43 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 2,454
| | | Re: Black Butterfly ?
Quote:
Originally Posted by trixiedogclaire I saw a black butterfly today which is why I found this site. It was tiny. about 4cm across the closed wings. when the wings were closed it's shape was a typical butterfly shape definately not a moth. It was flitting about on vetch and kept trying to hide. Any ideas? | This does sound a lot like a Chimney Sweeper moth, which does have a very 'butterfly like' shape. They do have a very small white-tip to the wing, but I'd imagine this could be easy to overlook (not that I've seen one!).
Here's a photo from the Gallery by Pauline 
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