#red lacewing butterfly

[entomologize]

Butterfly eggs photographed by Martin Oeggerli. All rights reserved, shared with permission. See more of his butterfly egg photos here!

[missingpaintbrushes]

Rainbow Lepidoptera

The pictures don’t really do it justice but it’s the best I can do.

And some close ups of my favorites

At some point when I started this painting I knew what all these butterflies and moths were called but I can only remember a few of them now!

[luceria1]

Red lacewing

[streetmaille]

Just added some new butterfly colors! Including these pink and red cuties 🌸🌷🌸🌷Check out the new colors here: https://streetmaille.etsy.com/listing/211000933

[jonnysinsectcatalogue]

Insect Highlights of 2023

With the new year celebrations scheduled for this weekend, I thought it best to share some of my favorite insect specimens from this year, rather than one single typed of insect. The pictures here haven't been uploaded to the blog in a post, so today they can all share the spotlight. There are many familiar faces here and all of them are incredible and beautiful creatures. Hopefully there are even more insect delights and finds to enjoy in the upcoming year. To ring in the new year, we have the following insects:

Monarch Butterfly - Danaus plexippus - Order Lepidoptera (August 7th)

Green “Goldeneye” Lacewing - Chrysopa oculata - Order Neuroptera (July 26th)

Carolina Locust - Dissosteria carolina - Order Orthoptera (August 20th)

Dog-Day Cicada - Phymata pennsylvanica - Order Hemiptera (August 24th)

Milkweed Beetle - Tetraopes tetrophthalmus - Order Coleoptera (July 9th)

Red-Legged Grasshopper - Melanopus femurrubrum - Order Orthoptera (September 13th)

Eastern Carpenter Bee - Xylocopa virginica - Order Hymenoptera (June 5th)

Five-Banded Thynnid Wasp - Myzinum quinquecinctum - Order Hymenoptera (August 7th)

Jagged Ambush Bug - Phymata pennsylvanica - Order Hemiptera (August 20th)

Transverse Hoverfly - Eristalis transversa - Order Diptera (August 8th)

All pictures here were taken in 2023 with a Google Pixel 4.

Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year and a great 2024! And thank you everyone for making this a wonderful year of insects!

[dansnaturepictures]

20th May 2023: Magdalen Hill 

Photos taken in this set here are of: 1. A Common Carpet moth, a pleasant and well coloured new moth for me to see flitting around. 2. A marvellous Marsh Fritillary which I was overjoyed to see flitting through the grass like a shining jewel. These are such mesmerising, splendidly coloured and super attractive dainty fritillaries that I always feel so honoured to see. It was amazing to see a handful of them to add the species to my butterfly year list, and it’s the first time I’ve ever seen them here being only the third place I’ve seen them after Martin Down and Bentley Wood so it was a great feeling to see them here. 3. Small Blue butterfly, a very pleasing and charming one to see as always the ones we saw also my first of the year today. 4, 5, 7, 9 and 10. Views at this lovely spot. 6. Bird’s-foot trefoil which glowed well in the sun. 8. Slow worm. 

In a mega day of lepidoptera and insects generally we had some fantastic late moments on the walk seeing my first Large White and Painted Lady butterflies of the year too, two species I had hoped to see soon taking me to twenty two species seen this year. Orange Tip, Red Admiral, Peacock, more Holly Blues today, Dingy Skipper, Small Heath and Brimstone were also brilliant to see in my highest amount of butterfly species seen in a day thus far in 2023. My first Mother Shipton of the year, Silver Y and an endothenia species were other good moths to see. Broad-bodied Chaser, lace wings, hoverflies and lizard here today too were good to see. Bird wise I got cracking views of female Blackcap with it’s exquisite brown head and soaring Red Kite a good one for this reserve, with Carrion Crow seen well too. My first horseshoe vetch of the year, common vetch, kidney vetch, smashing common rock-rose, alluring oxeye daisies, forget-me-not, more ragged robin in the Winchester area this week, cow parsley, cowslips still going, periwinkle, crane’s-bill and plantain were plant highlights. It was good to see oilseed rape covered yellow fields on the way here and whilst here. 

[operation-dragon-courting]

Cethosia Biblis, The Red Lacewing

A red lacewing butterfly mounted in a double-glass frame. This butterfly was purchased from a specialist store who guarantees the ethical acquisition of their specimens. This particular butterfly died a natural death in a butterfly garden before being prepped, mounted, and sold. Other red lacewings would have been released into the wild to bolster numbers of the species.

Always source your hoard items ethically and responsibly if you’re going to include animal materials that require the death of an animal.

[jupiterswasphouse]

Why do Bees have five eyes.

There are a few hypotheses as to why the extra, simple eyes of insects are a thing, from aiding their sense of direction, to head stabilization, to motion tracking/sensitivity.

Bees have two compound eyes that are capable of true sight, followed by three ocelli (or simple eyes) capable only of simple sight (in most cases) in the form of light detection, in the middle, on top of their heads! But they're not the only ones, all Hymenopterans including sawflies, ants, and other wasps have these three eyes.

[Image Source: Pensoft, Matthias Haase | Image ID: Five different views of two black, orange, and yellow Scoliid wasps, the images on the right showing its ocelli prominently /End IDs.]

Most other insects also have these simple eyes, from one to three, if not through their whole life then at the very least in their youth, barring some insects that don't/rarely fly or are blind/live in caves, among others. Lepidopterans (moths, butterflies), beetles (mainly in youth apart from certain species), silverfish, flies, orthopterans (grasshoppers, crickets, katydids), dictyopterans (mantises, roaches/termites), hemipterans (stink bugs, assassin bugs, cicadas, planthoppers, etc.), stick bugs, lacewings, mayflies, odonata (dragonflies, damselflies), etc etc etc I could probably go on but for the sake of tedium I'll leave it there. All of these have ocelli in many maaany (but not all) of their species.

A few of these, like mantises and cicadas, have them in quite a similar structure to the way the hymenopterans have them!

[Image Sources: Pensoft and Flickr, Barbara Eckstein | Image IDs: An illustrated diagram of the head of a mantis, followed by an up close photo of a green, black, and yellow cicada's head, showing its red ocelli /End IDs.]

Insects aren't even the only ones with extra simple eyes, some crustaceans and myriapods have them (among other arthropods), as well as some lizards, tuataras, and more.

[joeyscherryjubilee]

Like Calls to Like (I)

Pairing: Aemond x OC

Author's Note: First part! Keen to see what y'all think. There's a bit of mutual pining but won't be much slow burn. Keeping to the show, we're gonna have a few time jumps.

Warnings: Jealous!Aemond, time-jump six years from the prologue

Word Count: 3,420

Summary: Aemond and Laenyra have been in love for years, they just aren't willing to admit it yet. At Aegon's nameday celebrations, Laenyra looks for answers about her dragon and Aemond gets jealous.

Laenyra huffed, turning in the mirror, trying to see all angles of the dress. 

“I don’t know.” She muttered, twirling back and forth. 

Helaena giggled at her niece’s antics, the handmaidens standing against the wall giggled as the princess spun so quickly she almost fell over. 

“Wasn’t there a red and black one?” Laenyra asked, looking to Helaena with a hopeful smile. 

Her aunt nodded and looked to the maids. 

“Bring us that gown.” 

They rushed to fulfil the command and Helaena came forward, helping in undoing the strings binding the dress together. 

“Thank you.” Laenyra murmured, stepping out of the dress and discarding it on the bed.

Helaena stroked the slight bags under Laenyra’s eyes with a frown. 

“You haven’t been sleeping well?” Her aunt asked quietly. 

“No, it’s the dragondreams.” Laenyra shifted on the spot. “We’ve been flying south the past few weeks. Lately, as soon as I fall asleep I’m there.” 

Laenyra did not fear the strange dreams, but it was difficult to find rest when her mind was so far away and she often woke up exhausted. 

“South?” Helaena asked and threw an arm around her niece’s shoulders, wishing to provide comfort.

“Yes, I recognised Horn Hill a few nights past.” She yawned, resting her head on Helaena. 

“Well a Lord Tarly is visiting in honour of Aegon’s nameday, perhaps you can speak to him and ask about it, if your dragon has been there for a little while, he might of heard of it.”

Helaena’s idea was a good one and Laenyra felt hope bloom in her chest.

The servants presented the embellished gown of black and crimson and Laenyra’s heart soared and her smile lit the room. Helaena assisted her in getting it on, pulling the dress ti secure it properly before ushering her niece to the mirror once again. 

The gown was tight. Though it was clearly made it be, to accentuate the proportions of her body.

“You look so beautiful, like the red lacewing butterfly.” Helaena said dreamily.

“Thank you, Helaena.” Laenyra had no idea what a red lacewing butterfly looked like, but any comparison to a bug was a big compliment when coming from her aunt. “Do you think everyone will like it?”

“You mean Aemond?” She asked with a small smile. “Yes, I think he will.” 

“Shall we?” Laenyra did a playful bow, attempting to change the topic, and offered her arm as she stood. Helaena giggled and took it, slotting themselves together. 

The two princesses laughed as they ran down the halls, Helena outstripping Laenyra and giggling at how difficult it was for her niece to run in such a dress. They were hurrying in order to not miss the official entrance of the royal family. 

Laenyra grabbed at Helaena as she almost rounded the final corner and tugged her into an alcove. 

“Wait.” She whispered and fixed her aunt’s dress that had ridden up from running. 

“Thank you.” Helaena murmured and tucked Laenyra’s stray hair back into place. 

They rounded the corner as one, arms linked and smiling in such an innocent way that surely no one could accuse them of anything.  

“You’re late.” Ser Criston reprimanded as they came into view. 

“Princesses are never late, Ser Criston.” Viserys corrected and his smile brightened as he reached for his granddaughter. “Everyone else is simply early.” 

“You look so beautiful, my dear girl. Your mother must be so proud of you.” He manoeuvred with his cane and stepped forward, pressing a frail kiss to Laenyra’s cheek and a kind hand on Helena’s cheek. 

“Happy name-day, Prince Aegon.” Helaena and Laenyra spoke in unison as Queen Alicent ushered Aegon forward. He muttered a greeting at them, stumbling slightly. 

“You will escort your wife.” Alicent muttered sternly and the eldest son of Viserys huffed and begrudgingly offered Helaena his arm. The princess took it with a grimace and Laenyra smiled supportively as Helaena sent a sad look her way. 

“And Aemond will escort Laenyra!” Viserys said happily. Alicent looked as though she would rather have Vhagar escort Aemond to the ball, but could say nothing as her husband stepped aside and ushered their second son forward. 

Her heart beat fast as he stood before her, the top half of his hair pulled back but the rest cascading downwards in silken tresses. His tunic was fitted to perfection, an inky green that only enhanced the vividness of his eye. He had gotten a new eyepatch too, she noticed, a deep brown leather that he seemed to prefer to his old one. He smiled at her and her knees almost gave way.

His eye darkened as it roamed over her, his jaw clenched and unclenched twice before he managed to steady himself. 

“Princess Laenyra.” Aemond said and bowed to her with a charming grin.

Laenyra blushed at his antics.

“Prince Aemond.” She teased and took his outstretched hand, her heart leaping in her chest as he pressed a kiss to it before tucking it in the crook of his elbow.

Viserys chuckled as he watched them, his love of their relationship one of the few things that granted him true happiness in recent years. He was eagerly waiting for the day in which they acknowledged their feelings to each other, so he might arrange a match between them, if he could convince Alicent. 

“Right.” The queen said briskly, attempting to draw the attention off of the too familiar relationship. “Shall we?” 

Viserys nodded and they all fell into line, Aegon and Helaena behind the king and queen. Laenyra and Aemond behind them, her fingers slotting between his as Ser Criston announced their entry. 

“You are perfection, Laenyra.” Aemond whispered as the doors were pulled open. 

“You exaggerate, uncle.” She said with a soft smile, half-tempted to flee from his intense gaze, but she could never run from her Aemond. 

“On the contrary, niece.” He purred and led them forward into the hall. “Sometimes I look at you, and I can scarcely believe you are real.” 

“You are silly.” Laenyra mumbled and Aemond chuckled, parading them through the hall and to the head table, the two of them sitting next to Helaena and Aegon. 

The surrounding tables were lined with courtesans, those who lived at court, though that number had dwindled slowly with the king’s ailing health. 

“Did Aemond like your dress?” Her aunt asked as soon as they sat down, not bothering to lower her voice and Laenyra groaned internally as Aemond’s look became one of intense interest and he leaned closer to them. 

“Indeed, dear sister. I dare say our niece is a vision sent by the gods themselves.” He said with a grin, enjoying how Laenyra’s face flushed at his continued appraisal of her appearance 

“I told you he would like it!” Her aunt beamed at the two of them, often finding refuge from her own marriage in the building relationship between her brother and niece. 

“You were worried about my opinion?” Aemond asked, his voice lowering slightly as he frowned. 

Laenyra huffed. 

“I just wanted to look nice.” She muttered defensively. 

“You have succeeded so severely I believe that ‘nice’ would be an insult.”

“You’re making her uncomfortable, Aemond.” Helaena said softly, noticing how Laenyra shifted and mistaking it for discomfort. In reality Laenyra wished to pull him closer and press their lips together, the audience before them be damned. His words stirred such a heat in her belly, a fire that only ignited in his presence. 

Aemond took his sister’s words though and quieted himself, allowing Laenyra a slight reprieve from her yearning for him. 

Viserys stood and the room silenced. 

“It is wonderful to see you all.” He said in a soft voice, his health not allowing him to project across the banquet hall. “We are all here to celebrate my Aegon’s name day. He is a man grown, and I am rejoiced to be able to welcome you here.” 

He let out a small cough and went to continue, though he had to sit in order to collect himself as a spasm of pain went through him. Viserys sat at Alicent’s urging and everyone clapped politely, sharing looks of concern at their king’s depleting health. 

Aegon wasted no time in toasting the room before drinking very deeply from his cup. 

Alicent grimaced at her son’s choice but said nothing, Otto simply regarded Aegon calmly before his gaze flicked over to Laenyra and Aemond. She stared back resolutely, she would not be intimidated by such a man. 

Aemond caught her staring back at his grandsire and huffed, their feud something he could not prevent though it irritated him endlessly. He drew Laenyra’s attention back to him with a touch, glaring at Otto for disrupting her happiness. 

“He enjoys upsetting you, I think.” He said softly, placing a large cut of prime rib on her plate before serving himself. 

Laenyra growled under her breath, picking at the food while shooting daggers to Otto. Her anger was soon forgotten though as Helaena grimaced at Aegon’s loud belch. She attempted to ignore the rudeness of her uncle as she ate. Though soon she saw his gaze flicker over to a serving girl by the door and decided enough was enough. Laenyra leant over and rested her chin on Helaena’s shoulder with a comforting smile. 

“Would you like to dance?” She asked softly, nodding towards the already twirling couples, those eager to forget the heaviness of the atmosphere. 

Helaena adored dancing and she smiled eagerly, her anxieties momentarily forgotten. 

“Yes, I would like to dance.”

Laenyra turned to Aemond. 

“I going to dance with Helaena.” She said and squeezed his arm as she stood. 

“Would you like me to accompany you?” He asked, standing quickly to pull her char out for her. 

“I believe we will be okay.” Laenyra teased at his protective tone. “Though you are welcome to jump in if I need saving from a monster.” 

“Hmm.” He hummed, smirking amusedly at her jests.

Aemond watched them step down from the table together, his eye keenly sweeping over the crowd, determining there were no threats to the two people he cared most about. 

He saw nothing of import but kept a keen eye on them nonetheless. 

“You lead.” Laenyra encouraged her aunt eagerly. Helaena nodded determinedly and lead Laenyra in a dance, their own movements matching those of the surrounding partners. The princesses giggled at the disapproving looks from some the crowd, the fact neither one of them was escorted seemed to be displeasing to a few Lords and Ladies. 

They managed to dance three songs together before someone disrupted them, a lord from the Riverlands asking Helaena to dance, no doubt wanting the favour of the princess rumoured to be so kind. 

Laenyra met Aemond’s high from the high table and grinned as he raised a teasing eyebrow. She began weaving through the crowd, seeking to go and pull him into a dance. 

“Might I have this dance, Princess Laenyra?” She halted and saw Aemond frown as someone spoke from behind her. 

Laenyra spun on her heel to face an unfamiliar man. 

“Lord Alan Tarly of H-”

“Horn Hill!” Laenyra chirped, interrupting the lord in her excitement. “Apologies for interrupting you, my lord.” 

“There is nothing to apologise for, Princess.” He said politely, clearly happy that she knew of him.

“So you are enjoying the capital?” Laenyra asked, eager to converse with him, trying to figure out a way to guide the conversation.

Lord Tarly hummed as though in thought. 

“The trickery of the court is unfortunately lost on me, I have no patience for those who do not mean what they say. Or perhaps I am not quick enough to keep up.” He said it with a smile and Laenyra found herself warming to the Lord. 

“You are an honest man to admit such a shortcoming, though I must admit the necessity of cunning in court is a tiresome one.” She said with a graceful twirl as the music built. 

“And you, my princess, are the first to admit the extremity of cunning required in the capital. I do believe that means I can trust you.”

Laenyra gave the lord a smile, allowing him to lead her through the dance.

“I do believe only fools trust dragons.” She said with a teasing tone. 

“Call me a fool then.” Lord Tarly stated with a grin and Laenyra laughed. 

The dance came to an end and they clapped politely. 

“Might I be inappropriate and ask you for another dance?” 

“You may.” Laenyra grinned, she liked Alan Tarly and his honesty about the cruel games of the capital. She didn’t get many chances to meet new people any more, in the time of her mother living in the capital, visitors were common and easy to meet. But as Viserys’ state weakened, newcomers were far and few between. 

The music resumed and the couple began dancing once again. 

“So on Horn Hill, the surrounding forests are said to be full of game, is that true?” Laenyra asked, attempting an air of polite curiosity. 

“Yes! Hunting is a popular pastime, the stags are magnificent to hunt. If you ever visit the Reach, Princess, it would be an honour to host you and a hunt.” He said eagerly, clearly fond of Laenyra and his family’s famed hobby. 

“It is a lovely offer, My Lord.” She said with the politeness of a princess. “Are stags the only large animals in Horn Hill, do you have many predators?” 

If Lord Tarly noticed her focus in their conversation, he made no mention of it. 

“Yes.” He seemed keen to discuss his home and Laenyra was glad for it. “There are bears from the Crownlands and a few wolves even.”

“No number of predators to truly disrupt the balance of prey then?” She asked softly, feeling disappointed at his answer.

Alan Tarly frowned at her peculiar line of questioning but didn’t say anything. 

“There has been a few reports of animal parts, carcasses being found as of late. Only in the past few weeks though, before I journeyed to the capital. Also an oddity of deer coming far too close to the keep’s walls, almost as though a predator, most likely a bear, has wandered into their habitat.” He spoke as a true hunter, the logistics of the it all laid out in preparation for a future hunt, but the specifics confirmed what Laenyra suspected. 

She smiled gratefully at his answer, immediately falling deep in thought. Lord Tarly noticed her shift though and grinned sheepishly. 

“Apologies, Princess Laenyra.” He said with an awkward chuckle. “My family takes hunting as serious as war sometimes. I did not mean to speak on things I’m sure you have no interest in.” 

“No, it is no issue at all, I find it all quite interesting.” Laenyra insisted with a gracious smile. She couldn’t wait to tell Aemond, this was proof her dreams were true. 

Lord Alan led her in the remainder of the dance graciously, his demeanour a friendly one and she was glad to talk to him. 

The music swelled and the dance sped up, Laenyra and Lord Tarly breathless with joyful smiles as the song finally came to an end.

“Might I dare to lead you in a third dance?” His tone was teasing and she was eager to continue their conversation. 

“Of co-”

“I do believe two dances is more than enough.” Aemond’s voice cut through the jovial mood with the sternness of his tone and immediately Lord Alan ducked his head respectfully. “You would not want anyone to believe something improper is going on.” 

The clipped way he spoke told Laenyra he was jealous, and she turned to face him, her hand reaching to tuck into his elbow. 

“Of course not, my prince.” The lord bowed once again and turned to Laenyra. “It was a pleasure, Princess Laenyra. I hope to see more of you during my visit.” 

“Of course you do.” Aemond muttered with such hostility that she led him away and into a dance, the song slower now and perfect for conversing and not being overheard. 

He gripped her waist firmly, his fingers grasping at her as his other hand slotted perfectly over her own. His eagerness to have her in his grasp was quite endearing. 

“There was no need to interrupt.” She murmured calmly.

“You looked like you needed saving.” 

Laenyra grinned at his protective nature, though jealousy certainly played its part in Aemond’s actions. 

“I was asking Lord Tarly about his home, if you must know.” She said coolly and squeezed his hand to let Aemond know she was not upset. 

“Horn Hill, why?” He asked, an eyebrow arching at the oddness of her interest. “You’ve never mentioned an interest in the Reach before.” 

Laenyra took a brief, casual, glance around to ensure no one was focusing too much on the two of them. 

“I had another dream last night.” She said softly. 

Aemond frowned. 

“Why did you not come and wake me?” He asked, his hand on her waist drawing her closer as his voice lowered. They had slept separately the past few nights, an odd occurrence as the two of them could only sleep peacefully in the other’s company. 

Laenyra shrugged nonchalantly but Aemond saw through her immediately. 

“They’ve been bad again?” He asked, his look one of deep concern. 

“Not bad.” She insisted quickly. “Just intense. We’ve been hunting more and I think flying South. We flew over Bitterbridge in the night, I recognised the old stone bridge and the flat lands. Though we have been near Horn Hill for a little while.”

“Not ‘we’, Laenyra. I know you feel part of the beast but they are dreams, we have no proof the dragon even exists.” Aemond spoke kindly but she frowned at his words. 

“You know they are more than dreams, and no one would be able to spot such a dark dragon if he only flew at night. I saw the damage to the Stony Sept before we received word of it.” 

Aemond nodded to himself, he knew her dreams were more than imagination, especially when she faded away from him during the day, though those fits had become less common as they had gotten older. 

“Alright, what did your Lord Tarly say?” He asked, attempting to keep out the jealous tone and failing. 

“He said that there has been less game as of late, or the prey had taken to hiding from something. His maester had theorised that there must be an increase of predators or something has migrated south and disrupted the normal balance. Only a dragon could do such a thing, and the forests are so dense and unpopulated by people that no one would be able to see it.” 

Aemond could not argue with her sound logic, but the idea of his princess running off to Horn Hill in search of a wild dragon was unimaginably dangerous, and he would never allow her to go into such danger. 

“Allow me to take you if you must go.” He blurted it out desperately though they had discussed it multiple times. 

“Aemond, you know that you cannot. You are too protective and Vhagar will scare off any dragon, wild or eitherawise, and you will not allow me to get too close and you would be putting yourself in danger, there are countless reasons for you not to come.”

“None of them important enough to dismantle the one reason I should go.” 

Laenyra huffed, her exasperation at his stubborn defence of her beyond irritating. 

“Oh yes, what reason is that?”

“We are always meant to be together.” He said calmly but his eye was ablaze with passion.

Aemond’s gaze was intense and she ducked her head, attempting to conceal how flustered she was. He twirled her once more as the music swelled and then led her off the dance floor, his arm firm around her waist. 

“You will come to my room tonight.” He said softly, pressing a kiss full of care to her hand as he finally released her. “Then perhaps we can both sleep soundly.” 

Laenyra smiled softly and nodded, wishing to hug him tightly but people were glancing at their abrupt departure from the dance. 

“Alright.” She consented and pressed a daring kiss to his cheek before disappearing into the crowd, embarrassed at her own brazenness.

Aemond stared after her. The fire inside him roaring as he withheld from chasing after the woman he loved. 

___________________

Tags: @grungegrrrl, @daddysfavoritesexkitten, @neenieweenie

[angelonasher]

doc is a red lacewing butterfly propaganda

[artstar1997]

The main characters of my fairy AU, which is the adaptation of the Hidden AU and its collaboration story, Journey to Harmony are made by me and @georgi-girl. Each of the seven fairy tribes and subtribes has wings and antennae based on different insects or the wings are based on their elements (the country tribe as earth fairies have leaf or flower petal or fruit slice-shaped wings, the techno tribe as water fairies have fin-like wings, etc.) and the pop trolls as fairies are more of butterfly fairies while Cooper is a moth fairy, just like his parents and his tribe and Queen Rose and her tribe, the platinum trolls are dragonfly fairies. Their outfits are based on the fashion from the Middle Ages, though the fairies' clothes are made out of natural materials, such as leaves and flower petals.

The new Platinum leader and the fairy queen of the fairy kingdom, Queen Rosetta a.k.a Rose has dragonfly wings and antennae just like the members of her court, which is known for the use of light magic. She wears roses and rose petals in her outfits because the flowers match her personality and the rose symbolizes royalty, romance, love, beauty, and courage.

Queen Poppy, the older twin of King Peppy's twin daughters and one of Queen Celestia's wards has the antennae that she, Queen Celestia, and the members of the Snack Pack share because they came from the same court. During the group's search for the Pop court, Poppy acts as a trusted best friend for Queen Rose to rely on in lending a helping hand or wing because they have been inseparable at most times, especially during lessons. She shares with her boyfriend, Branch. Her wings are based on the king swallowtail and her outfits have camellias and their petals as skirts because the flower symbolizes beauty, grace, elegance, love, longevity, happiness, and good fortune,

Branch, on the other hand, is still the cautious and protective but talented butterfly. His skills in survival and protectiveness towards his friends allowed him to join the knights and earn his title as a sir. He and his brothers have the same monarch butterfly wings and his outfits were made of Mexican sage petals and leaves. The sage plant symbolizes bravery, esteem, domestic virtue, longevity, thoughtfulness, good health, and wisdom.

DJ Suki is a music-savvy fairy herself since fairies are known to be musically inclined and she was trained to be a troubadour ever since Queen Celestia took in the Snack Pack after they were separated from the pop fairies during their escape from the giants (the bergens). Sporting red lacewing butterfly wings and wearing clothes with lotus petals, I kinda match her with lotus flowers because they symbolize transcendence, purity, rebirth, and strength.

Cooper is the only moth fairy in the group and is known to work in the castle bakery with Legsly. He was aware that he had a different antennae shape and that his wings were based on a rosy maple moth but what he didn't know was that he was born a fairy prince. His outfits are made of morning glories, which match him perfectly because the flowers symbolize eternal love, rebirth, resilience, life, and unyielding love.

Smidge is a skilled flyer and fighter in her group and she is one of the transgender members. She is the strongest because she trained with the knights alongside Branch but, she tends to be more of a berserker. Her wings are based on an orange sulphur butterfly and her outfits are made out of red dahlias, which symbolize strength, power, perseverance, and prosperity.

Biggie is a big butterfly with a heart of gold. As an animal tamer and the caretaker of the Snack Pack, he takes care of them and keeps them safe with his bow and arrows but he owns a pet fox, whom he names Mr. Dinkles. He has blue morpho butterfly wings and his outfit is made out of pansy flower petals and leaves because it matches his gentle personality and the pansy symbolizes love, loyalty, honesty, devotion, sympathy, and care.

Guy Diamond is a transgender male but he is considered the most beautiful fairy. Sporting glitter on his pink-tipped satyr butterfly wings, he can emit fairy dust from his wake when flying. Queen Rose uses it for potions while Fuzzbert uses the dust for healing. As a new dad to the newborn baby Tiny Diamond, he tries his best to be a good example to his son. His outfits are made out of amaryllis lily petals, which match him because the flower symbolizes pride, strength, determination, beauty, and love.

Satin and Chenille, the fashion twins still love fashion designing and making clothes but their outfits are known among the younger generation of the nobility, the elite, and the wealthy class. They have matching purple emperor wings, cherry blossom outfits, and ponytails that face each other like a mirror, but the sleeves, personalities, and colors set them apart. Cherry blossoms match them because of their traits and the flower symbolizes beauty, passion, love, courage, rebirth, renewal, new beginnings, and the start of spring.

Fuzzbert, though mute, is a skilled healer among his teammates, which comes in handy because of the difficulty of their quest. Using his knowledge of potions and spells to cure his fellow fairies and help anyone in need. His wings are based on a species of a swallowtail butterfly and his outfits are made of sweet pea leaves, which symbolize blissful pleasure, good wishes, kindness, gratitude, and friendship.

Legsly works at the castle bakery with Cooper but she is mainly the most outgoing among the teammates. As a baker, she has a "happy-go-lucky" attitude with a liking for any "good things" and her cooking talent impresses both her friends and guests alike. Her dress is made out of the leaves and the flower of the daffodil, which symbolizes rebirth, new beginnings, hope, joy, and good luck.

[driedbreadstixx]

FLUTTER SHELL DESIGNS

WOHOOOO!!!!!!

THEYYYY!!!! THE FLUTTER TURTS!!!!!!!!

SPECIES!!

Raph is an alligator snapping turtle combined with a red lacewing butterfly

Mikey is an ornate box turtle combined with a pearl crescent

Leo is a red-eared slider combined with a blue morpho

Donnie is a spiny softshell turtle combined with a purple emperor

FUN FACTS!!

Mikey likes to crochet and a lot of the accessories of his brothers are made by bite

Donnie and Raph both keep headphones with them at all times incase of overstimulation (or when they're brains crave music)

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(i heavily referenced the original sprites since i couldn't come up with any creative poses oof)

[lunar-wandering]

ALRIGHT. LETS GO. LIST OF CHARACTERS IN THAT RIDICULOUS MONSTER OF THE WEEK HERO AND VILLAINS STORY I GOT SO WE CAN GET SOME NAMES FOR EM

PLEASE send me names for these guys cause im dying just referring to them by titles

i didn't want to just go "villain 1, villain 2," so i assigned them colours

we'll start with the ones in the polyam relationship and then do the other characters

Our Hero!! think more magical girl themed than DC Comics. he/him pronouns, transformation item is a butterfly hairclip (and most attacks have a butterfly theme) (the butterfly specifically is a Red Lacewing). In civilian form his hair is purple and his eyes are blue, while in hero form his hair is blonde and his eyes are red. He is SO tired and stressed, but it's only visible in civilian form (aka he's got dark shadows under his eyes and his hair looks like it hasn't seen a brush in months). He goes to university, and works in a tea shop beside the university. Due to an incident early on in which a monster of the week caused him to temporarily be split into two people, since his brain couldn't handle the double perspective of information, he does have another personality- they're basically the same for the most part, but the other him only takes control when he's really stressed out (in the middle of a hard battle, or in the middle of a difficult exam). He's basically just slightly more serious overall. It's harder to surprise him and stuff like that.

Pink Villain!!! tbh he's the funnest one to me. he/him pronouns. when i say pink i mean PINK. symbol is a heart and the monsters he summons cause physical effects. he can drain energy, and give energy to people via kisses (does not need to be on the lips). (the more power he stores, the longer his hair gets). he's just a silly guy, he's having fun with this. the first one to figure out the hero's secret i.d. Actually he knows WAY more than he should. he's like, the secret keeper. he Knows Things. keeps a piece of the Hero's energy that he took early on stored in a locket.

Blue Villain! ???/??? Pronouns (any pronouns). symbol is a teardrop, and the monsters they summon cause psychological effects. nobody knows SHIT about them. not even what they look like, they wear one of those like- hats with a veil so their face and hair is completely covered. (well. i say no-one knows- Pink Villain actually does, but only cause he goaded them into kissing him once.) They don't tend to talk a lot either. In reality they're just shy- and also the only one to have a civilian form. They also attend the university the Hero goes to, albeit they look completely different.

TECHNICALLY she could also be called Pink Villain but for the sake of not confusing people, Yellow Villain!! she/her pronouns. her colour scheme is actually mainly pink but there's enough yellow in there for her to be called this. her symbol is a lightning bolt, and the monsters she summons affect nature itself. arguably the most powerful of the villains excluding the Big Bad. she has an electrified whip, btw. the coolest person here by far. she's the only one capable of one-upping Pink Villain. also the only one that goes into the tea shop to actually get tea and NOT chat with the hero (looking at you Pink Villain).

Okay!! That's the polyam gang!! now. other characters.

The Science Team- there's like, a bunch of people included here, but only two of them are really important. They're on the hero's side, they help him figure out the weaknesses of the monster of the week and all that, but they're also constantly trying to figure out who the hero is. He's close enough with two of them to consider them to be friends, and the team has narrowed down what university he's going to, but not who he is. Funnily enough, the two he's closest to actually started working at the same tea shop he does in order to like, get Info, but they don't suspect him in the slightest.

Purple-Blue Villain, a 16 year old girl who was brainwashed by the big bad at the very beginning of the series. She doesn't have a symbol, nor does she summon monsters. Her main job is to act as a spy on the science team- since she's the daughter of one of them.

The Big Bad, a ruler from another dimension who's big on the idea of having another dimension bend to his will. The Hero's butterfly hairclip actually was brought into this world by him, but he accidentally lost it during portal travel. He brought the other villains here with him as his "trusted generals".

Hero's Clone, he/they pronouns, initially created by the Big Bad just for, yknow, the typical "lets clone the hero" reasons. Was highly unstable and dripping black goo everywhere. After being stabilized, the only differences between him and the hero are that one of his eyes is pink, and the tips of his hair is pink. After stabilization, the hero has him stay with the villains, cause he doesn't trust the science team to NOT try to experiment on them, but he DOES trust the villains to be able to effectively hide them from their boss. sometimes gets involved with plans as the hero's body double to confuse people.

[q-ueen-potato]

I Have ZERO knowledge about butterflies but here are the butterflies that inspired the wings of Luffy and his family/ the fairies I'm my au...

Luffy – Monarch Butterfly

Elanor (mother) -red Lacewing

Luffaron ( grandfather) – emperor moth

Abina (aunt) -Blue Morpho

Melona(cousin) -Red spotted purple

Alberon(cousin) -Pipevine swallowtail

Cirdan (uncle) - Tiger swallowtail

Daena( Gran-aunt) - Atlas Moth

Gildor (cousin) - Eyed silk moth

Nienna(gran-aunt) - Luna Moth

[bumblebeeappletree]

We visit a garden in Indonesia which has become a haven for butterflies.

Plants cover every surface and peek out from every nook at Ida Amal’s house in Tangerang, west of Jakarta.

A large rambutan tree creates shade as well as providing fruit for the house and the neighbourhood.

Ida built the house with the garden in mind, and plants have a home within the building and on the roof walkways as well.

There are food plants, a hydroponic setup, ornamentals, a hive of stingless bees – even a Eucalyptus and tulip bulbs being grown in a fridge to provide wintery conditions.

Ida experiments with everything. “I love every plant,” she says. She even got permission to cultivate the public park next door into garden space, and the many flowers and plants growing there provide a natural haven for butterflies.

She grows particular host plants on purpose, for example, lacewing vine for the Red Lacewing Butterfly.

An artist and educator, Ida shares photos of and information about her garden with a large online following.

She is keen to persuade others to each create a microclimate in their garden - no matter how small, it will combine with other gardens to form a larger microclimate that can reduce global warming and climate change.

“Gardening is not just planting but caring about the environment,” Ida says.

Featured species:

Rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum)

Lacewing Vine (Adenia heterophylla)

Red lacewing butterfly (Cethosia biblis)

Filmed in Tangerang, Banten

[tropic-havens]

​Red Lacewing Butterfly (Cethosia biblis) in Phetchabun, Thailand.