- Condition: **
- Year: 2020-2021, 2023
Lycaenidae, also known as gossamer-winged butterflies, is a family of small butterflies comprising about 6,000 species worldwide, with about 100 species in Europe. The common blue butterfly (Polyommatus icarus) is found throughout Europe including the United Kingdom. It is the local most common blue butterfly living on all kinds of meadows. It is missing only at higher locations above 800 m. It also lives in cities around gardens. The butterfly shown on the stamp is male, the female is brown. As one of our few gossamer-winged butterflies, the common blue butterfly is not yet endangered.
The clouded yellow butterfly
The clouded yellow butterfly (Colias croceus) occurs permanently only in the Mediterranean and flies to the Czech Republic irregularly. It is a migratory butterfly, with a very variable occurrence in this country. In some years, only isolated specimens can be found, while in other years, they are abundant. Sometimes, the clouded yellow butterfly flies high into the mountains that it migrates over. The stamp portrays a male butterfly with a continuous dark border on the edge of the wings. The female has orange spots in the dark edge. As a migratory species, it does not require special protection in our country.
The European peacock, also known simply as the peacock butterfly, (Aglais io) is a diurnal butterfly from the Nymphalidae family, which is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful and colourful Czech butterflies. The name of the genus was derived from the distinctive markings on the wings of the peacock butterfly resembling peacock eyes. The typical food of the peacock butterfly are flowers, ripe fruit, and fruit tree sap, but it can also be seen on hops and nettles. These plants are also used by the peacock butterfly for laying eggs and feeding caterpillars. In the Czech Republic, the peacock butterfly can be seen almost during the whole year, as its life cycle involves two generations. One generation appears in the spring, the other in the autumn, with both generations living simultaneously during the summer. The peacock butterfly is currently not regarded as an endanger species in the Czech Republic and can be commonly found all over the territory.
The orange tip (Anthocharis cardamines) is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. The males feature wings with a signature orange pigmentation, which makes the orange tip the most distinctive species in the family. The females’ pigmentation are various shades of inconspicuous grey. As one of the widespread butterflies in the Czech Republic, the orange tip is not listed as an endangered species. Instead of living in colonies, adult butterflies live alone, feed on their host plants and search for partners for mating and plants suitable for laying eggs. They prefer open biotopes, such as meadows, river banks, or the edges of light forests. The ideal habitat are wet but sunny locations. The open population structure and high dispersion of females allow the orange tip to settle areas altered by human activity, in which the butterfly finds enough suitable flora for subsistence and reproduction.
The silver-washed fritillary (Argynnis paphia)
Of the Argynnis genus, one of several groups of butterflies known as fritillaries, is a diurnal butterfly although it can be seen also at dusk. The term fritillary refers to the chequered markings on the wings, usually black on orange or yellow and brown. In the Czech Republic it is found mainly in South Bohemia. It is not yet an endangered species.
