Butterflies & moths to look for in March — Peacock Butterfly

The Peacock (Aglais io), like the brimstone, is one of the few British butterflies that can hibernate as an adult, which allows it to be one of the earliest butterflies to be seen flying in the year. The beautiful eye-spots on the wings are thought to scare off predators because when seen upside down it looks like the face of an owl! If they feel threatened they will flash their wings and even ‘hiss’ by rubbing their wings together! When resting they are very well camouflaged because the dark, almost black, underside of their wings blends in to the background. Males and females look similar, but the females are slightly larger.