Araschnia levana and prorsa

This delightful little butterfly is best-known for having two forms, levana and prorsa that represent the spring and summer broods respectively. levana individuals are primarily orange in colour, giving them the appearance of a small fritillary, whereas prorsa individuals look more like a very small White Admiral.

This species was deliberately introduced in 1912 when the butterfly became established in the Forest of Dean in Monmouthshire, and Symond's Yat in Herefordshire. The well-known entomologist A.B. Farn was so opposed to the deliberate introduction of a foreign species that, in 1914, he deliberately collected and destroyed every individual he could find. However, the ultimate demise of the colonies is believed to be the result of additional (and unknown) factors.