Butterflies and Owls

The New Forest Wildlife Park is a great place to see very special creatures.
On our visit we saw several that I have longed to see for many years - namely, owls, badgers and a wide variety of magnificent butterflies.
Coming from New Zealand, we don't get owls like those in the UK. We have our beloved Morepork , however it's our only owl, whereas in Britain there are several species.
See about the Morepork here

As for butterflies, take a look at the pictures below. Really, they speak for themselves.
Identifying them hasn't been easy, however eventually I found this wonderful website www.butterfliesandmoths.org



Tree-nymph
- or Malabar Tree Nymph (Idea malabarica) is a large butterfly found in peninsular India that belongs to the danaid group of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in forest clearings and above the forest canopy.






Owl Butterfly.
Found in southern Mexico to Central America, Colombia and into Peru and the Amazon
Found near banana crops. Prefers lowland forest areas, but cannot survive where there is lots of rainfall.






Zebra Heliconian
The Zebra Longwing or Zebra Heliconian (Heliconius charithonia) is a species of butterfly belonging to the subfamily Heliconiinae of the Nymphalidae. It was declared the official butterfly for the state of Florida in the United States in 1996.






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OWLS


Snowy Owl.
A rare winter visitor to the most northerly UK islands and Highlands of Scotland. The males are almost pure white, while the females and juveniles have dark brown bars and spots all over except for the face and bib.







European Eagle Owl.
Sadly, numers are lessening because urban development is causing the loss of its habitat. They are capable of killing foxes and fawns however are more likely to go for rabbits, hares and wildfowl.






Tawny Owl.
Whilst they are the most numerous owl in Britain, there are none in Ireland, the Isle of Wight or the Isle of Man because they don't like flying over water.






Spectacled Owl.
Their name comes from the white color surrounding their eyes that resembles eyeglasses, or “spectacles”. Spectacled owl babies have markings that reflect the exact opposite of their parents, with white bodies and dark faces.


   

Now how's that for beauty and magnificence?