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Nymphs of Green Shield Backed Bug: Coleotichus costatus

Nymphs of Green Shield Backed Bug sitting on Red-Eyed Wattle. Note the seeds and the seed pods. Nymphs of Green Shield Backed Bug wit...

Friday 15 May 2015

Common Brown Butterfly: Heteronympha merope

Underside of the wing of Common Brown Butterfly

Common Brown Butterfly
Location: Margaret River, Western Australia
Season: Summer, December
Class: Insecta 
Order: Lepidoptera 
Family: Nymphalidae 
Genus: Heteronympha 
Species: H. merope

Common Brown Butterfly is common in the Southern half of Australia. It is an orangish brown butterfly with brownish black markings. The males are less colourful and have less white markings than the female. Both sexes have an eye-spot on each of the four wings.

Common Brown butterfly is of ecological significance and an indicator of climate change. The butterfly is appearing earlier each year (10 days earlier than it did 65 years ago). It is now seen in new regions which was previously too cold for it to survive

Reference: Climate watch