Orange tip

[Anne Kilmer]

Anthocharis cardamine

Speaking of dead butterflies ... I am having considerable trouble
finding useful pictures of the various white butterflies which
presumably abound in these parts. 
For some reason, the photos of the Orange Tip are mostly of the male,
which in fact I have no particular trouble identifying, rather than of
the female, who looks, as far as I can tell, pretty much like the Small
White and the Green-Veined White. 
I thought I had found a female, until she went into a happy courting
flight with what was definitely a female green-veined white, indicating
that I had the species and the sex wrong. Definitely a butterfly though.
;-)
There's a butterfly house in Galway, and I suppose I can go look at
their dead bug collection. And there's a museum in Dublin. But wouldn't
it be handy if the schools or libraries or some such could display a
nicely curated collection, so that beginners could go look at the actual
bug, holding still? Because I'm sorry, but a photo, even of a pinned
specimen, is just not as good, for learning the bug, as the real thing. 
Meanwhile, does anybody happen to have good photos (URLs) of the Orange
Tip female? 
Thanks
Anne Kilmer
Mayo

 
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