Brimstone Butterfly - Gonepterix Rhamni Stock Photo

Brimstone Butterfly - Gonepterix rhamni.It is commonly believed that the word `butterfly` is a derived from `butter-coloured fly` which is attributed to the yellow of the male Brimstone butterfly, the female being a much paler whitish-green. The Brimstone has a most exquisite wing shape, perfectly matching a leaf when roosting overnight or hibernating within foliage. This is one of the few species that hibernates as an adult and, as such, spends the majority of its life as an adult butterfly.