This is a central and south American species of which two specimens have been found in the British Isles. One was found alive in Covent Garden market, London, on 17th October 1935 and the other was caught by a schoolboy in a meadow near Weymouth, Dorset on 23rd August 1970. Both are believed to have been accidentally introduced in imported produce. As such it qualifies for the Secondary Species List, but until now we did not have any images for it in the Identification Section.
I decided to do some research, expecting to find a small uninteresting brown butterfly but discovered something quite special................
- Small Brown Shoemaker male - Mexico 2008
- Small Brown Shoemaker male - Mexico 2008
- Small Brown Shoemaker female - Mexico 2008
- Small Brown Shoemaker female - Mexico 2008
These stunning images are by Bill Bouton of California, who generously allowed them to be copied from the Butterflies of America website. There it is called an Orange Mapwing.
Now, where can I find a Slate Flash?...............
Vince
