I have found all of these butterflies dead. None of them were killed for this.

I also take their bodies and bury them outside under a tree to return them to the earth instead of them rotting on the pavement.

Do you think this is ethical? Or is it morally okay? I don’t want to kill butterflies for my collection, but I do collect dead butterflies when I find them. It’s been a couple months in the making and the Monarch was found in the middle of a parking lot with its abdomen crushed, and similarly with the Painted Lady and Red-Spotted Admiral/Purple.

I got the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail from my friend (from the forest floor and all that was left was this wing).

I would never harm an innocent creature just to display it, but I feel like I’m honoring the beauty of nature and what it has to offer.

Any suggestions? They’re in card sleeves right now because that’s what I had and I printed out the labels because I was excited to learn about them.

loving the intricate colour and pattern☺️😌

Caught it in a temporary container aka a cup until I found a old ice cream tub to make a better place for it, as it was night time I decided to keep it in my room, until I woke up lol, just woke up and released it outside, at first it wouldn't move much, but it was trembeling/vibrating, so I thought it was going to die, but glady seen it fly away just now so I am happy lol

The red admiral caterpillar i took in recently pupated. I didnt think their chrysalis could be so beautiful♥︎ the reflects look like actual gold esp when in the light

We found this (European Peacock?) butterfly on the landing outside our flat (Glasgow, Scotland). They aren’t moving much at all, just slightly narrowing their wings (although my wife said she spotted it on a different part of the corridor yesterday). I’m not sure if it’s injured, or just emerged, or anything really. We’ve left them some sugar water on a piece of foil - is there anything more we can do to help?

Spotted this Pearl Crescent sunning on the mulch, a first for my yard since I started converting it to pollinator habitat. The skippers have been regulars all season on the asters, yarrow, and everything else in bloom. I'm a wetland ecologist, so plants are my thing and skippers are definitely not. Are these all the same species? I've wondered about Peck's skipper for a few of them. Bonus points to whoever IDs the one on the turtle.

From the front garden.