The Small Tortoiseshell
Small Tortoiseshells Aglais urticae have a protracted courtship which can last for several hours.
The male follows the female as she flies from place to place, and when she settles and opens her wings, he walks onto her hindwings, tapping them with his antennae.
This process is repeated many times over several hours, until the female eventually leads him to a sheltered spot, typically underneath a small bush, where copulation takes place.
The Brimstone
Brimstone Gonepteryx rhamni males are also often seen "wing-walking" on females, but in this species the process always ends in the male rejecting the female. When females are receptive, copulation takes place almost instantly, without any observable pre-nuptial ritual.
Most butterflies remain copulated only for an hour or so, but the Brimstone is quite remarkable in this respect - I once found a pair of Brimstones which remained copulated beneath a bramble leaf for an amazing 17 days before finally parting company!
The story of the Meadow Brown – a new idea for an aftershave?
The Meadow Brown is a very common grassland butterfly that is found in often large numbers on road verges, field edges and woodland glades.
Male Meadow Browns are very active and spend much of their days searching for females, either by launching themselves from prominent perches on low vegetation or, more often, by weaving between grass clumps on erratic investigative flights.
Once a male has found a female, there is a brief courtship during which the male envelops his partner in a scent.
This has been described as the smell of old socks, the stink of a cigar box or like musty hay. Apparently there are some humans who can smell the Meadow Brown’s perfume!
It’s not the sort of scent that humans are likely to enjoy! But it seems that the female Meadow Brown loves it! She will settle on a firm piece of vegetation and allow the male to mate her.
Grateful thanks to www.learnaboutbutterflies.com for permission to include this material about courtship behaviour.