Peacock Butterfly

Summer is in full swing here in the UK, and we’ve already passed the longest day of the year. The gardens and parks are full of colourful flowers and bushes, and the insects, particularly bees and butterflies, are busy visiting those attractive blooms.

One of the most common butterflies seen in Britain is the beautiful peacock in today’s photo, so named because of the “eyes” on its wings, just like the “eyes” on a peacock’s feathers. These colourful insects can often be seen on bushes like buddleia, whose nickname is “the butterfly bush”, or hebe, as in the photo here.

Fun fact: If a peacock is threatened, it will make a hissing sound by rubbing the veins of its forewings and hindwings together. (Thanks to the Woodland Trust for this bit of info.)