Butterflies and Moths of the island

The spectacular world of butterflies on Crete includes 47 species; 4 of them are endemic, meaning that they are occurring only within the island. These are Zerynthia cretica (Cretan festoon), Hipparchia cretica (Cretan grayling), Coenonympha thyrsis (Cretan small heath), and Kretania psylorita (Cretan argus). There are totally 236 butterfly species reported in Greece nowadays and is thus one of the countries in Europe with the richest butterfly fauna.

More than 1200 moth species can also be found on the island of Crete, in a wide range of habitats. Most of them are nocturnal, but there are also crepuscular and diurnal species.

Numerous pictures and detailed information concerning all butterflies species and 450+ moth species on the island of Crete are also available on the website https://butterfliesofcrete.com.

Butterflies and moths are indicators of biodiversity and a healthy environment. They are fragile, so they react quickly to environmental changes. Their lifecycle is closely linked to specific plants and habitats. So an increase or decrease in their diversity is a sign of the changing quality of a place and the impact of that change on fauna.

Kalliopi Borboudaki, Chemical Engineer MSc, creator of the website https://butterfliesofcrete.com.