Butterflies and Moths

Polly M spotted an Orange Tip butterfly in the garden this week, feeding on Centranthus flowers.  She also found a very strikingly patterned Mullein Moth caterpillar, unsurprisingly on a Mullein plant (also called verbascum).

This morning, Andy M spotted a very pristine small 'blue' butterfly resting on the wall in his garden.  Initially he suspected it was a female Common Blue, but closer inspection (alongside his identification books), indicated it was actually a Brown Argus. 
Whilst very similar, the alignment of the row of black-and-white spots on the lower underwing is slightly different. In the Brown Argus, the 'second' spot is out of line, forming a so-called 'twin-spot' with the first spot, whereas in the Common Blue, these spots form an even smooth arc.

Orange Tip [photo Polly M]

Orange Tip [photo Polly M]

Mullein Moth caterpillar [photo Polly M]

Brown Argus [photo Andy M]

Brown Argus [photo Andy M]