Monarch Butterfly - Mexico

Lake Xochimilco was one of four lakes in the Valley of Mexico during the time of the Aztecs. These lakes were the sites of an agricultural style known as Chinampas. The Aztecs would pile alternate layers of mud and marsh plants onto large floating rafts, merging them with the seabed to create fertile islands.

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Danaus plexippus - The monarch butterfly is a milkweed butterfly native to North America. They use the milkweed plant as a food source during the larvae stage. Each fall the monarch migrates along various routes in a quest for warmer habitats. The monarch butterfly, through multi-generational migration paths, travels between Ontario, Canada and the mountains of Central Mexico. Monarchs butterflies are aposematic, an organism with the ability to use warning coloration to ward off potential predators.

California Dogface Butterfly - California

The creeks and rivers running off the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range had carried and deposited tons of gold along their banks. The discovery of these easy pickings at Sutter’s Mill near Colomar, California resulted in the 1848 Gold Rush and brought over 300,000 people to California in a short period of time.

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Colias eurydice -The California dogface butterfly, also known as the flying pansy, is endemic to California. It is found in oak or coniferous woodlands from the central part of the state to Baja California. The outer section of the male’s forewing features the silhouette of a dog’s head. The female’s coloration is a pale yellow with one black spot on each forewing and lacks the dog head design. During the larvae stage, the insect will feed exclusively on the false indigo plant; adults sustain themselves from the nectar of any available flower.

Indian Tortoiseshell - Bhutan

The smoking of tobacco first occurred in the Americas and was primarily used for ceremonial purpose rather than recreation. Science has determined tobacco use as one of the biggest causes of preventable deaths. Bhutan has taken this fact seriously and in 2004, it became the first modern country to ban tobacco products.

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Aglais kaschmirensis - There are three species of nymphalid butterflies found in the Himalaya Mountains: the Ladakh, the mountain, and Indian tortoiseshell. The Indian tortoiseshell, with a wingspan of 50 to 60 centimeters, occupies a zone between 1,000 to 4,000 meters of altitude. There are about 20,000 butterfly species contained in six families. The Nymphalidae family, with 6,000 species, is the largest. The one distinct feature separating the Nymphalidae family from the other five butterfly families, is the anatomy of the antenna.

Apollo Butterflies - Kazakstan

The world’s first and largest space launch facility is located in Kazakstan. Control is maintained by Russia through a lease agreement extending to 2050. The Baikonur Cosmodrome was the launch site for the first manned space flight featuring Yuri Gagarin and for placing Sputnik, the first artificial satellite, into earth’s orbit.

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Parnassius delphius - The butterfly genus Parnassius is general referred to as the “Apollo” group and consists of 54 species. The Apollo butterflies are high altitude insects and are usually found in the 2,000 to 3,000 meter range. Most Apollo species are rare, but the delphis, also known as the banded Apollo, is a common sight, and distributed throughout Central Asia. The Apollo butterflies are easily recognized; they have a whitish grey color, rounded wings, and most species feature a prominent red “eye” pattern on the upper side of the wings.

Peppered Moth - North Korea

The Rungrado 1st of May Stadium is the world’s largest stadium. It has the capacity to seat 150,000 people and features a field measuring 207,000 square meters. It was completed in 1989, and is used as a venue for staging sporting events, but is known best for the Arirang Festival, a gymnastic and artistic showcase.

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Biston betularia - The peppered moth is a prime example of natural selection at work. Prior to the industrial revolution, the peppered moth was primarily light colored to match the bark of the trees they sought out for shelter. The trees began to darken from the loss of lichens caused by industrial soot, The lighter colored moth populations declined through predation while the darker moths thrived. When stricter air pollution standards were set, it allowed the lighter colored moths to make a remarkable comeback.

Atlas Moth - Singapore

The ancient world had many independent city states: Uruk, Thebes, Tyre, Rome, Athens, and Tenochtitlan. Some of these cities expanded into powerful empires. Today the world has only three city states: Monaco, Singapore, and the Vatican City. Of the three, Singapore has become a global center of economic activity.

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Attacus atlas - The atlas moth, named for the wing pattern resembling an atlas, holds the record for having the largest total wing surface of any moth; almost 400 square centimeters. The atlas moth does not eat during its adult stage; it does not have a mouth. It survives from the fat reserves accumulated during the larva stage. The adult stage of the atlas moth is dedicated to breeding a new generation. Females secrete a pheromone during the mating season; males can detect this chemical scent through their long feathery antennae.

Redspot Jezebel - Viet Nam

Delias descombesi - The redspot Jezebel is a butterfly found throughout Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam. Wingspan for males typically stretch 68 to 88 millimeters; females are larger at 80 to 90 millimeters. The difference between sexes is also evident in coloration; males have pale forewings and yellow hind wings, while females have black forewings and dusky hind wings. Both sexes have a distinctive elongated red band crossing the upper hind wings, a reflection of their name.

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Viet Nam was controlled by China for over a thousand years. In 938, General Ngo Quyen defeated the Chinese to achieve independence for Viet Nam. The Vietnamese state became know as Dai Viet and began to expand by absorbing Champa, parts of Khmer, the central highlands, and the Mekong Delta. Viet Nam fell to French colonialism in the late 1800’s. It was occupied by Japan from 1940 to 1945, and endured a long and bitter civil war; the war ended in 1975 with Viet Nam’s reunification.

European Peacock Butterfly - Bremen

German states are known as a “Bundesland” or “Land” and there are 16 making up the Federal Republic of Germany. The state of Bremen is the smallest of the German states in regard to size and is made up of two enclaves surrounded by Niedersachsen. Both enclaves are situated along the banks of the Weser River.

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Aglais io - A colorful butterfly, the European Peacock is found along the temperate regions stretching from Europe to Japan. It is a resident species throughout much of its range, preferring to winter in buildings or trees. Butterflies rely on crypsis or foul taste as defense against predators; crypsis allows the butterfly to blend in with the natural environment. There is a third line of defense; when threatened, the peacock will opening its wings to flash the four intimidating “eye” spots on its wing tips to ward off any potential predator. 

Scarce Swallowtail - Luxembourg

Luxembourg, one of the smallest countries in the world in area and population, is divided into three districts: Diekirch, Grevenmacher, and Luxembourg. These districts are further divided into 12 cantons and 106 communes. Twelve of these subdivisions are large enough to be labeled as independent cities.

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Iphiclides podalirius - Despite its name, the scarce swallowtail butterfly is common throughout Europe, but their numbers have suffered a sharp decrease. This decline is attributed to the clearing of blackthorn bushes, an important food source for the swallowtail larvae. The chrysalids will take on either a green or brown color during the pupae stage for the purpose of camouflage. The larvae will form a green pupae before August when the leaves are green; after August they will form brown pupae to blend in with the decaying leaves.

Ruddy Daggerwing - Saba

Saba has the distinction of having the smallest population and territorial size of the six Dutch holdings in the Caribbean, but the tallest point in the Kingdom of the Netherlands is located on the island of Saba. Mount Scenery is a dormant stratovolcano; the last recorded eruption and pyroclastic flows occurred in 1640. 

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Marpesia petreus - The ruddy daggerwing is a common sight in lowland forest settings extending from Mexico to Brazil and from Florida to many of the Caribbean islands. A medium-sized butterfly, it has a wingspan of about 9 centimeters. The dorsal side is a rusty orange color with three black stripes running from fore wing to hind wing. The ventral side is a mottled brown and black to give the appearance of a decaying leaf. Daggerwings resemble swordtails and swallowtails; their hind wings also end in long dagger-shaped tails.

Butterflies of Europe

The wall brown’s ideal habitat includes sparsely wooded areas or shrubby areas in ravines and river valleys. There has been a significant decline in numbers of sightings of the wall brown in Southern England since the mid 70’s. This decline has been attributed to environmental changes.

Blackleg tortoiseshells are found throughout Europe, Northern Africa, and Western Asia. During the imago stage, the butterfly will winter in dark and dry areas; tree hollows or unoccupied buildings are preferred. It will emerge in late February or early March looking for food sources high in sugars and for mating purposes. Imago is a biological term defining the final stage of an insect’s metamorphosis into adulthood.

The Queen of Spain is a common butterfly found throughout Europe and temperate Asia. Male and female are similar in appearance, although the female is slightly larger and features a shorter abdomen. Females tend to be sedentary, males will pursue any butterfly passing through its territory. Sources for nectar include thistles, thyme, cow parsley, and dandelion.

The European butterflies depicted are the wall brown (Lasiommata megera), the blackleg tortoiseshell (Nymphalis polychloros), and the Queen of Spain (Issoria lathonia).

Meadow Argus - Tokelau

Three small atolls make up the Tokelau Islands; Atafu, Fakaofo and Nukunonu. John Byron, an English explorer, was the first European to step ashore on the Tokelau Islands when he landed on Atafu in 1765. The islands had been occupied by Polynesian people beginning about 1,000 years ago, but never on a permanent basis.

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Junonia villida - The meadow argus is one of about 6,000 species within the Nymphalidae family of butterflies. One of the distinctive features of the Nymphalidae family is their stance when resting; they will stand on four legs and curl the other two up towards the body. Native to Australia, the meadow argus is a common species found throughout Australia during the warmer months and year round throughout many islands in the Pacific Ocean. The brown wings have prominent blue, black and orange eyespots along the edges to deter potential predators.