Name this butterfly

[Mad Doug Biker]

Butterfly wings can move up to to rest with wings together above the thorax. Moths typically hold their wings like your guy. Also thick antennas and I bet he's got a chubby little body under those wings.

Sadly, Google image search failed in this case, but you have the answer above.

Both Butterflies and Moth are the same thing, it is just the way they have been classed, but they are all of the family Lepidoptera.

It always make me laugh when people try to give definitive descriptions as there are so many variations on body form (shape) for both butterfies and moths that cross-overs occur all the time (moths that look like butterflies (like, say, a Large Emerald moth) and butterflies that look like moths, like the 'Skipper' butterflies for example).

Heck, even some butterflies fly at night too!!

I don't know about the U.S., but there are 60 species of butterfly in the UK and 531 in Europe, but over 2000 (I think) species of moth in the UK, and 40,000 species of moth worldwide ranging from the tiny little micro moths, to the Macro moths and the huge Hawkmoths (most fly at night so are rarely seen). The amount of body forms is huge, there are even moths that look more like types of fly.

I have a book with all the UK species of Macro Moth and Hawkmoth in it and it is immense as it is, the smaller Micro moth species are even more numerous still.

......But butterflies and moths are all of the same huge family that is Lepidoptera!

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

In fact, in some languages, there is no name for Moth, they just say 'Night Butterfly'.

We probably have the over zealous Victorians to blame for trying to class everything. It is why people still think that a butterfly and a moth are both completely different, but they are all the same, it is us who have classed them as being different.

 

[Dave 123]

This, is a tiger jersey. Which isn't the same

 

[RedRider]

An iridescent purple/blue dragonfly sat on the rim of my coffee cup in herne hill this morning. I wasn't quick enough to take a pic before it took off and sat on the cup of the woman at the next table!
Can any entomologists suggest a caffeine loving identity?

 

[raleighnut]

View: https://youtu.be/YyzD8jE_-B4

 

[annedonnelly]

An iridescent purple/blue dragonfly sat on the rim of my coffee cup in herne hill this morning. I wasn't quick enough to take a pic before it took off and sat on the cup of the woman at the next table!
Can any entomologists suggest a caffeine loving identity?

You could try looking here http://www.british-dragonflies.org.uk/content/dragonfly-and-damselfly-identification-help - I mostly see Common Blue damselflies.

 

[annedonnelly]

In fact, in some languages, there is no name for Moth, they just say 'Night Butterfly'.

We probably have the over zealous Victorians to blame for trying to class everything. It is why people still think that a butterfly and a moth are both completely different, but they are all the same, it is us who have classed them as being different.

And isn't it strange that some people are frightened of moths but think butterflies are beautiful creatures?

 

[RedRider]

You could try looking here http://www.british-dragonflies.org.uk/content/dragonfly-and-damselfly-identification-help - I mostly see Common Blue damselflies.

It's wings were closed as it sat on the cup which from your link suggests damselfly (learnt something today, thanks) and colour-wise most like the banded damselfly but difficult to say from the short visitation.

 

[Katherine]

I think you should have started a poll...

 

[T4tomo]

Good thing it wasn't in Orpington then.

Orpington is a 2 Gregg's high street, one of its very few claims to infamy.

 

[ianrauk]

Orpington is a 2 Gregg's high street, one of its very few claims to infamy.

It does indeed. One each side of the High Street within a 100 yards of each other, one next to the Wetherspoons of course. The High Street also has about 15 charity shops, including 2 Cancer Research ones.