Butterfly Species

Dingy Skipper Erynnis tages
Habitat - Sunny habitats including chalk downland, woodland rides and clearings, coastal dunes, heathland
Abundance - Widespread and common
Flying months - April to August
Food plants - Common Birds-foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), Horseshoe Vetch (Hippocrepis comosa), and Greater Bird's-foot Trefoil (Lotus pedunculatus)

Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola
Habitat - Tall, dry, sunny grasslands, and coastal marshes
Abundance - Common in south-eastern England
Flying months - May to August
Food plants - Commonly Cock's-foot (Dactylis glomerata), but also other grasses

Grizzled Skipper Pyrgus malvae
Habitat - Woodland rides, glades and clearings, chalk downland, disused railway lines
Abundance - Widespread in southern England
Flying months - April to August
Food plants - Agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria), Creeping Cinquefoil (Potentilla reptans), Wild Strawberry (Fragaria vesca), Barren Strawberry (Potentilla sterilis), Tormentil (Potentilla erecta), Salad Burnet (Sanguisorba minor), Bramble (Rubus fruticosa), Dog-rose (Rosa canina), Wood Avens (Geum urbanum)

Large Skipper Ochlodes venata
Habitat - A variety of places with long grasses, woodland rides, roadside verges, meadows
Abundance - Common in England and southern Scotland
Flying months - June to August
Food plants - Cock's-foot (Dactylis glomerata), Purple Moor-grass (Molinia caerulea), False Brome (Brachypodium sylvaticum)

Small Skipper Thymelicus sylvestris
Habitat - Rough grassland, downs, sunny rides and woodland clearings
Abundance - Common and widely distributed
Flying months - June to August
Food plants - Favours Yorkshire-fog (Holcus lanatus) but uses Timothy (Pheum pratense), Creeping Soft-grass (Holcus mollis). Nectars on purple flowers, including Thistles (Cirsium spp.), Knapweeds (Centaurea spp.)

Clouded Yellow Colias croceus
Habitat - Any, but prefers chalk downland
Abundance - Migrant from southern Europe and North Africa, occasionally very abundant
Flying months - May to November
Food plants - Leguminous plants including Clovers (Trifolium spp.) and Lucerne (Medicago sativa)

Brimstone
Habitat - Woodland rides, downland, parks and gardens
Abundance - Widespread and common
Flying months - March to October, commonest in summer
Food plants - Buckthorns (Rhamnus catharticus, Frangula alnus)
Nectars on Primrose (Primula vulgaris), Daffodil (Narcissus pseudonarcissus), Teasel (Dipsacus fullonum), Knapweeds (Centaurea scabiosa, Centaurea nigra) and Thistles (Cirsium spp)

Large White Pieris brassicae
Habitat - Almost everywhere
Abundance - Very common
Flying months - March to October
Food plants - Wild or cultivated species of Cruciferae, particularly varieties of Cabbage and Brussels-sprout (Brassica oleracea) and Oil-seed Rape (Brassica napus)

Small White - Pieris rapae
Habitat - Occurs in all types of habitat
Abundance - Common and widespread
Flying months - March to October
Food plants - Cultivated and wild Brassicas, Nasturtium (Tropaeoleum majus)

Green-veined White
Habitat - Occurs in a wide range of habitats with a tendency to congregate in damp areas
Abundance - Very common
Flying months - April to September
Food plants - Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata), Cuckooflower (Cardamine pratensis), Hedge Mustard (Sysimbrium officinale), Water-cress (Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum), Charlock (Sinapis arvensis), Large Bitter-cress (Cardamine amara), Wild Cabbage (Brassica oleracea), Wild Radish (Raphanus raphanistrum), Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus)

Orange Tip Anthocharis cardamines
Habitat - Damp grassy areas in woodland, roadside verges
Abundance - Common and widespread -
Flying months April to July Food plants - Cuckooflower (Cardamine pratensis), Garlic Mustard (Alliara petiolata)

Marbled White Melanargia galathea
Habitat - Unimproved grassland, woodland rides, coastal grassland, waste ground, road verges
Abundance - Widespread across southern England
Flying months - June to August
Food plants - Grasses including Fescues (Festuca spp.), Yorkshire-fog (Holcus lanatus), Tor-grass (Brachypodium pinnatum)
Nectars on Wild Marjoram (Origanum vulgare), Scabious (Cirsium spp.), Knapweeds (Centaurea spp.) Scabious (Knautia arvensis)

Green Hairstreak Callophrys rubi
Habitat - Occurs on a wide range of soils but is strongly associated with scrub and shrubs
Abundance - Widespread in small colonies
Flying months - April to July
Food plants - Common Rock-rose (Helianthemum nummularium), common Bird's-foot-trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), Gorse (Ulex europeaus), Broom (Cytisus scoparius), Dyer's Greenweed (Genista tinctoria), Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus), Dogwood (Cornus sanguinea), Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica), Cross-leaved Heath (Erica tetralix), Bramble (Rubus fruticosus)

Purple Hairstreak - Neozephyrus (Quercusia) quercus
Habitat - Woodlands containing oak and ash
Abundance - Widespread in southern areas
Flying months - July to September
Food plants - Sessile Oak (Quercus petraea), Pedunculate Oak (Quercus robur), Turkey Oak (Quercus cerris), Holm oak (Quercus ilex)

White-letter Hairstreak Satyrium w-album
Habitat - Hedgerows, scrub, woodland where elms occur
Abundance - Widespread and locally common
Flying months - June to August
Food plants - Wych Elm (Ulmus glabra), English Elm (Ulmus procera), Small-leaved Elm (Ulmus minor)
Nectars on Thistle (Cirsium spp.), Ragworts(Senecio spp.) and Bramble (Rubus fruticosus)

Small Copper Lycaena phlaes
Habitat - Downland, woodland rides, heaths, gardens, wasteland
Abundance - Common and widespread
Flying months - April to October
Food plants - Common Sorrel (Rumex acetosa), Sheep's Sorrel (Rumex acetosella), Broad-leaved Dock (Rumex obtusifoloius)

Common Blue Polyommatus icarus
Habitat - Anywhere where its food plants grow
Abundance - Very common and widespread
Flying months - April to October
Food plants - Common Bird's-foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), Greater Bird's-foot Trefoil (Lotus pedunculatus), Black Medick (Medicago lupulina), Common Restharrow (Ononis repens)

Chalkhill Blue Polyommatus (Lysandra) coridon
Habitat - Uncultivated chalk and limestone downlands
Abundance - Local and often common
Flying months - June to September
Food plants - Horseshoe vetch (Hippocrepis comosa)
Nectars on Knapweeds (Centaurea scabiosa, C. nigra), Scabious (Knautia arvensis) and other purple flowers

Holly Blue Celastrina argiolus
Habitat - Woodland glades, parks and gardens with evergreens such as holly and ivy
Abundance - Common across southern and midland England
Flying months - March to September
Food plants - Holly (Ilex aquifolium), Ivy (Hedera Helix), Spindle (Euonymous europaeus), Dogwoods (Cornus spp.), Snowberries (Symphoricarpus spp.), Gorse (Ulex spp.), Bramble (Rubus fruticosa)

White Admiral Limenitis camilla
Habitat - Woodland rides and glades with dappled sunlight
Abundance - Restricted to woodlands
Flying months - June to August
Food plants - Honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum)
Nectars on Bramble (Rubus fruticosus)

Purple Emperor Apatura iris
Habitat - Deciduous woodland
Abundance - Uncommon, southern England
Flying months - June to August
Food plants - Goat Willow (Salix caprea), Grey Willow (Salix cinerea), Crack Willow (Salix fragilis)

Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta
Habitat - Almost anywhere
Abundance - Common and widespread
Flying months - April to November
Food plants - Common Nettle (Urtica dioica), Small Nettle (Urtica urens), Pellitory-of-the-wall (Parietaria judaica)

Painted Lady Vanessa cardui
Habitat - Anywhere with plenty of thistles
Abundance - Sometimes very common
Flying months - April to October
Food plants - Thistles (Cirsium and Carduus spp.), Mallows (Malva spp.) Common Nettle (Urtica dioica), Viper's Bugloss (Echium vulgare)

Small Tortoiseshell Aglais urticae
Habitat - Any
Abundance - Common and widespread
Flying months - March to October
Food plants Common nettle (Urtica dioica) , Small nettle (Urtica urens)
Favourite nectaring plants include Buddleia, Sedum spp., Michaelmas Daisies (Aster spp.)

Peacock Inachis io
Habitat - Almost anywhere including open woodland, chalk downland, gardens
Abundance - Common and widespread
Flying months - March to August
Food plants - Common Nettle (Urtica dioica)
Nectars on Thistles (Cirsium spp.), Knapweeds (Centaurea spp.) Scabious (Knautia arvensis) and many other wild flowers

Comma Polygonia c-album
Habitat - Open woodland and wood edges, gardens
Abundance - Widespread and common
Flying months - March to October
Food plants - Common Nettle (Urtica dioica), Hop (Humulus lupulus), Elms (Ulmus spp.), Currants (Ribes spp.), Willows (Salix spp.)
Nectars on Brambles (Rubus fruticosus), partial to rotting fruit

Silver-washed Fritillary Argynnis paphia
Habitat - Broad-leaved woodland with sunny rides, over-grown lanes and hedgerows
Abundance - Common in southern England and Wales
Flying months - June to September
Food plants - Common Dog-violet (Viola riviniana)

Grayling Hipparchia semele
Habitat - Dry sunny places with sparse vegetation and bare ground, mainly coastal in Britain
Abundance - Common
Flying months - June to September
Food plants - Sheep's Fescue (Festuca ovina), Red Fescue (Festuca rubra), Bristle Bent (Agrostis curtisii), Early Hair-grass (Aira praecox), Tufted Hair-grass (Deschampsia cespitosa)

Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonis
Habitat - Tall grasses close to trees, hedges, heathland and downland with patches of scrub
Abundance - Widespread and common
Flying months - July to early September
Food plants - Grasses including Bents (Agrostis spp.), Fescues (Festuca spp.), Meadow-grasses (Poa spp.), Common Couch (Elytrigia repens)
Nectars on Brambles (Rubus fruticosus), Wild Marjoram (Origanum vulgare), Common Fleabane (Pulicaria dysenterica), Ragworts (Senecio spp.)

Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina
Habitat - Downland, heathland, woodland clearings, waste ground, hedgerows
Abundance - Very common
Flying months - June to September
Food plants - Fescues (Festuca spp.), Bents (Agrostis spp.), Meadow-grasses (Poa spp.), Cock's-foot (Dactrylis glomerata), Downy Oat-grass (Helictotrichon pubescens), False Brome (Brachypodium sylvaticum)
Nectars on Brambles (Rubus fruticosus)

Small Heath Coenonympha pamphilus
Habitat - Downland, heathland, coastal dunes, woodland rides and glades, moorland, parkland
Abundance - Very common
Flying months - May to October
Food plants - Fescues (Festuca spp.), Meadow-grasses (Poa spp.), Bents (Agrostis spp.)

Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus
Habitat - Damp wooded glades, hedges, tall grassland
Abundance - Widespread and common
Flying months - Late June to August
Food plants - Coarse grasses including Cock's-foot (Dactylis glomerata), False Brome (Brachypodium sylvaticum), Tufted Hair Grass (Deschampsia cespitosa), Common Couch (Elytrigia repens)
Nectars on Bramble (Rubus fruticosus) and Wild Privet (Ligustrum vulgare)