More on Peacock Butterfly behaviour. The third Peacock in the garden must have been a female because it allowed the male to approach it. The resident male followed it till it landed just behind the female and then displayed with its wings open wide while the female sat with its wings folded. They moved on to several different spots on the ground, repeating this behaviour. As I mentioned last year, Peacock Butterflies are fascinating in other ways– their large ‘eye markings’ are to deter birds and other predators from approaching them. Especially seen upside down, they appear as a face with large eyes and beak. They have one other ‘weapon’ of deterence’– if approached they can also produce a loud rasping sound by rubbing their wings together! Conditions: Dry with sunny intervals. Temperature: Max 14- Min7c.
Male and female Peacock displaying at another part of the males territory in the garden
The Peacock Butterfly upside down – the eyes and appearance of a beak scares off predators
A male and female Peacock Butterfly displaying
Sheffield city nature diary by Penny Philcox 