British Butterflies Identification

The British Butterflies Identification page on Wild About Britain can be used to help you identify species of Butterflies found in the UK.

However, if they all look the same, or you need some help in identifying a particular species, click here to post a question in our forum, where some of our really helpful members should be able to help.

Clouded Yellow Butterfly Colias croceus	Silver-studded Blue Plebeius argus	Small Copper Butterfly Lycaena phlaeas	White Letter Hairstreak Satyrium w-album
Short-tailed Blue Butterfly Cupido argiades	Black Hairstreak Butterfly Satyrium pruni	Mountain Ringlet Butterfly Erebia epiphron	Grizzled Skipper Butterfly Pyrgus malvae
Wood White Butterfly Leptidea sinapis	Meadow Brown Butterfly Maniola jurtina	Long-tailed Blue Butterfly Lampides boeticus	Pale Clouded Yellow Colias hyale
Common Blue Butterfly Polyommatus icarus	White Admiral Butterfly Limenitis camilla	Large Tortoiseshell Butterfly Nymphalis polychloros	Orange-tip Butterfly Anthocharis cardamines
Small Blue Butterfly Cupido minimus	Brown Argus Butterfly Aricia agestis	Large Heath Butterfly Coenonympha tullia	Small Heath Butterfly Coenonympha pamphilus
Dark Green Fritillary Butterfly Argynnis aglaja	Swallowtail Butterfly Papilio machaon	Marbled White Butterfly Melanargia galathea	Small White Butterfly Artogeia rapae
Brimstone Butterfly Gonepteryx rhamni	Brown Hairstreak Butterfly Thecla betulae	Chequered Skipper Butterfly Carterocephalus palaemon	Large Copper Butterfly Lycaena dispar
Heath Fritillary Butterfly Melitaea athalia	Queen of Spain Fritillary Issoria lathonia	Duke of Burgundy Butterfly Hamearis lucina	Silver-washed Fritillary Butterfly Argynnis paphia
Ringlet Butterfly Aphantopus hyperantus	Red Admiral Butterfly Vanessa atalanta	Black-veined White Butterfly Aporia crataegi	Green Hairstreak Butterfly Callophrys rubi
Large Skipper Ochlodes faunus	Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary Butterfly Boloria selene	Pearl-bordered Fritillary Boloria euphrosyne	Wall Brown Butterfly Lasiommata megera
Purple Emperor Apatura iris	Monarch Butterfly Danaus plexippus	Essex Skipper Butterfly Thymelicus lineola	Purple Hairstreak Butterfly Neozephyrus quercus
Green-veined White Butterfly Pieris napi	Glanville Fritillary Melitaea cinxia	Peacock Butterfly Inachis io	Large Blue Butterfly Maculinea arion
Comma Butterfly Polygonia c-album	Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly Aglais urticae	Marsh Fritillary Euphydryas aurinia	Geranium Bronze Butterfly Cacyreus marshalli
High Brown Fritillary Argynnis adippe	Speckled Wood Butterfly Pararge aegeria	Dingy Skipper Butterfly Erynnis tages	Scotch Argus Butterfly Erebia aethiops
Chalkhill Blue Butterfly Lysandra coridon	Small Skipper Butterfly Thymelicus sylvestris	Bath White Butterfly Pontia daplidice	Gatekeeper Butterfly Pyronia tithonus
Northern Brown Argus Aricia artaxerxes	Grayling Butterfly Hipparchia semele	Holly Blue Butterfly Celastrina argiolus	Lulworth Skipper Butterfly Thymelicus acteon
Large White Butterfly Pieris brassicae