I came across this lovely creature (see photo) on a wild hillside on the west coast of Tuscany, Italy, one April, at about 100 metres above sea level. It flew like a butterfly, dancing around in pairs with others like it, and was about 4 centimetres across, but it doesn’t seem like any butterfly I’ve seen, nor is it in any of my insect books. It is very beautiful, what is it?
• This insect is the Libelloides coccajus, related to lacewings and antlions. I have seen them in Burgundy in France and in the Pyrenees mountains, and have…
