A to Z of British Butterflies

A B C D E G H I L M N O P S T V
Scientific Name sort icon Primary Image Common Name Description
Aglais urticae Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly Male and female examples of this butterfly look similar. Colourful orange-red and black upperside, dark border with blue crescents around edges. Each forewing contains six black patches, breaking up...
Anthocharis cardamines Orange-tip Butterfly Generally white with a bright orange wingtip, the male of this species is easily recognised. The female has dusky grey wingtips, by comparison. They both have dark spots to the mid fore of the upper...
Apatura iris Purple Emperor The majestic Purple Emperor is the second largest Uk species, second only to the Swallowtail. The purple sheen thats present on the males can only be seen from certain angles and light conditions....
Aphantopus hyperantus Ringlet Butterfly Dark brown butterfly. Underwing has distinctive eyespots: white centre, black inner ring and outer yellow ring. Similar to male Meadow Brown. When newly emerged, the Ringlet has a velvety appearance...
Aporia crataegi Black-veined White Butterfly A large butterfly with a white ground colour and clear black veins. It's rounded wings are bordered with a narrow black margin. The upper and underwings are similar, yet the females veins are...
Araschinia levana Map butterfly A rare migrant producing two broods per year. In itself this is not unusual, but the markings and upperwing colours are so different you could be forgiven for assuming you were dealing with two...
Argynnis adippe High Brown Fritillary This butterfly is fast and vigorous in flight. Its upperside is an orange-brown with streaks and black spot markings and a pale chequered fringe. The underwings have the characteristic cresent of...
Argynnis aglaja Dark Green Fritillary Butterfly

The Dark Green Fritillary is a fast-flying butterfly which can be seen skimming and soaring between flowers, thistles being one of it's favourites. It has a green background on the underside of...

Argynnis paphia Silver-washed Fritillary Butterfly A fairly large butterfly with a distinctive fast gliding habit, and is the easiest of the fritillaries to identify. Orange ground colour with bold black spots. The black bars on the forewings are...
Aricia agestis Brown Argus Butterfly The ground colour is a rich chocolate brown with a single black spot on each of the forewings, bordered with a row of orange spots and edged with a white fringe. The underwing is greyish brown with...
Aricia artaxerxes Northern Brown Argus Similar in appearance to the Brown Argus which it replaces in Northern England and Scotland normal form has a white spot in the centre of the fore-wing although some of the English examples as in the...
Artogeia rapae Small White Butterfly A similar smaller version of the Large White butterfly. The upperside is creamy white with black tips to the forewings. Females also have two black spots in the center of the forewings. Its...
Boloria euphrosyne Pearl-bordered Fritillary

The key to distinguishing the pearl bordred fritillary is the combination of seven silvery white pearl like spots along the margin of the underside of the hindwing, with a single central white...

Boloria selene Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary Butterfly Upperwing is an orange brown ground colour with black marking and numerous black spots. The underwing has seven white spots on the margin of the hindwing with black edges to define them. Several...
Cacyreus marshalli Geranium Bronze Butterfly Similar in appearance to the Brown Argus but lacks the orange spots. An accidental introduction that was observed for a period in the 1990s near Lewes in Sussex. the butterfly originates from South...
Callophrys rubi Green Hairstreak Butterfly The underwings are a bright green yellow ground colour, with a white faint broken line on the forewing and a clear white broken line on it's hindwing. The upperside is a rich chocolate brown - the...
Carterocephalus palaemon Chequered Skipper Butterfly The Chequered Skipper is easily identified and beautifully marked with it's upper wings of chequered orange buffish spots on a brown chocolate like ground colour, and it's wings edged with a pale...
Celastrina argiolus Holly Blue Butterfly Both male and female have blue upperwings although the females is slightly lighter they both have a chequered fringe. The male has a narrow dark margin, but it is more extensive on the female and...
Coenonympha pamphilus Small Heath Butterfly The Small Heath always rests and feeds with it's wings closed, thus making it difficult to ever view the upperwings. The upperwings are an orange-brown ground colour with a narrow grey margin, it...
Coenymphula tullia Large Heath Butterfly Found in boggy habitats in northern Britain, Ireland, few sites in Wales and central England. Rests with wings closed. Some have row of 'eyespots' on underwings, like Ringlet, but some don't. Those...
Colias australis Berger's Clouded Yellow Butterfly
Colias croceus Clouded Yellow Butterfly A strong, fast-flying butterfly butterfly which feeds and lays its eggs on various species of clover. It is less common in Britain today, a metion shoud be made that the Clouded Yellow has been a...
Colias hyale Pale Clouded Yellow

It is only the male of this species which is a true pale yellow. The female is white with black margins and two yellow spots on each hind-wing. Both male and female of this species have white...

Cupido argiades Short-tailed Blue Butterfly
Cupido minimus Small Blue Butterfly The male has a bit of blueish suffusion at the base of is upperwings but is mostly dark brown like the females. The undersides is a silvery grey with small black dots. The male has a blueish tint at...
Cynthia cardui Painted Lady Butterfly The Painted Lady Butterfly has a peach-to-pale-orange background colour, with brown and white patches more noticeably on it upper forewings. Spots below the margins may have blue centres. The...
Danaus plexippus Monarch Butterfly
Erebia aethiops Scotch Argus Butterfly Very dark brown with row of black eyespots with white centre on each wing. Eyespots are surrounded by orange. As its name suggests, this butterfly is found predominantly in Scotland where it flies in...
Erebia epiphron Mountain Ringlet Butterfly A dark brown butterfly with row of black-centred orange eyespots on wings. Similar to Scotch Argus, which has white dots in the eyespots. The adults are highly active only in bright sunshine but can...
Erynnis tages Dingy Skipper Butterfly The Dingy Skipper Butterfly has a very moth-like appearance, with dark brown upperwings and underwings of a reddish brown. Difficult to tell the difference between the sexes.
Euphydryas aurinia Marsh Fritillary Cream spots among the orange and brown on the upper wings separate this medium-sized butterfly from other fritillaries. The wings of this beautiful butterfly are more brightly patterned than those of...
Glaucopsyche arion Large Blue Butterfly A small-medium sized butterfly that is very rare in southern England. Wings blue with broad dark margins and large black spots on forewings. Undersides pale brown with black spots. Extinct (1979) and...
Gonepteryx rhamni Brimstone Butterfly Male upperside is bright yellow the female is greenish white.Tip of forewing has a sharp point, all four wings have a red dot in the centre.Underside pale green and looks like a leaf in both the male...
Hamearis lucina Duke of Burgundy Butterfly The upperside is a rich brown ground colour, orange markings and a whiteish chequered fringe. The underwing is a lighter tawny brown with dark spots on the forewing and white spots on the hindwing....
Hesperia comma Silver-spotted Skipper
Heteropterus morpheus Large Chequered Skipper This boldly marked butterfly is unmistakable when its underside can be clearly seen. The uniformly dark upperwings have a scattering of faint pale marks on the forewing. The markings of the hindwing...
Hipparchia semele Grayling Butterfly Underwing mottled-brown. Appears larger in flight when pale yellow-orange bands can be seen. Cryptic colouring provides the Grayling with excellent camouflage, making it difficult to see when at rest...
Inachis io Peacock Butterfly This beautiful and perhaps best known butterfly shares its name with the equally colourful Peacock bird. Mainly burnt orange on its upper wings, large blue centred eyespots are apparent. The wing...
Issoria lathonia Queen of Spain Fritillary
Lampides boeticus Long-tailed Blue Butterfly The Long-tailed blue is one of the commonest butterflies in the world, however it is a very rare migrant to Britain. It has false eyes at the base of it's long tails which give a head and antenna...
Lasiommata megera Wall Brown Butterfly Upperwings open, reveal bright orange-yellow colouring with dark borders, veins and wavy crosslines becoming more dusky towards the body. Across each forewing, the male has a stripe of dark scent...
Leptidea reali Real's Wood White Butterfly Upperwings white with rounded edges. Males have black mark in edge of forewing. Undersides white with indistinct grey or greenish markings. Wood White is very similar, but in Ireland seems to be...
Leptidea sinapis Wood White Butterfly A delicate dainty butterfly with feeble like flight, which has broad and rounded wings, and has a white yellowish ground colour with grey streaks. Also has quite a distinctive black smudgey spot on...
Limenitis camilla White Admiral Butterfly Brownish black upper wings, with white markings and a double row of black spots - white scalloped markings edge the wings. The underwing has the basis of an orange-brown colour, white markings and a...
Lycaena dispar Large Copper Butterfly
Lycaena phlaeas Small Copper Butterfly Forewings bright orange ground colour, with brown spots and brown margin ? its hindwings are brown with an orange band and pointed rear margin. Underwing is much paler a greyish brown with black...
Lysandra coridon Chalk-hill Blue Butterfly Pale silvery blue.wide sooty brown margin on forewing, black dots around edge of hindwing.female brown with faint orange spots on edge of the hindwing.Fringes checkered in both male and female....
Maniola jurtina Meadow Brown Butterfly A dull dark brown upper wing, with pale orange patches visible on some of these butterflies, together with a black spot encircling a white centre resembling an eye in the corner of each forewing. At...
Melanargia galathea Marbled White Butterfly A striking butterfly - The upperside is creamy white and black patches with an almost white scalloped margin. The underwing is a much paler almost grey version of the upper. The male and female look...
Melitaea athalia Heath Fritillary Butterfly
Melitaea cinxia Glanville Fritillary The Glanville fritillary was named after Elanor Glanville, an 18th century amateur naturalist. It is patterned on the upperside of the hind-wings with black dots in orange spots. The underside of the...
Neozephyrus quercus Purple Hairstreak Butterfly The upperside of the male is an almost velvety black - when seen in cetain lights it has a purple violet iridescenes. Also has small tail streamers on it's hind wings. The upperside of the female is...
Nymphalis antiopa Camberwell Beauty Butterfly This very colourful, medium-sized butterfly is a strong flier and is easily picked out and identified. The forewings are dark brown. The margin is ridged. On the wing leading edge there are two white...
Nymphalis polychloros Large Tortoiseshell Butterfly Large orange butterfly that is thought to be extinct and occurs only as a rare migrant. Larger and duller colourings than Small Tortoiseshell and lacks white spot in corner of forewing.
Ochlodes sylvanus Large Skipper Upperwings dark brown and orange brown with pale markings. Underwings buffush orange with paler spots.
Papilio machaon Swallowtail Butterfly A stunning butterfly, notable for the characteristic tail streamers on the hindwing. Yellow and black markings with a network of black veins. Also on the hindwing is a band of blueish scales and a...
Pararge aegeria Speckled Wood Butterfly A deep dark brown ground colour with a single eye spot on each of it's forewing and a pattern of yellow-buff spots. Also has several prominant eye spots on it's hind wing. The aptly named Speckled...
Pieris brassicae Large White Butterfly

A large strong flying butterfly. Brilliant white wings with black tips to forewings, extending down wing edge. Females also have two spots on forewings not present in males. Undersides creamy...

Pieris napi Green-veined White Butterfly Wings white with prominent greenish veins on hind wing. Uppers have one or more spots. Small White is similar but lacks green veins. The Green-veined White can be found throughout the countryside,...
Plebeius argus Silver-studded Blue Females brown with row of red spots. Undersides brown-grey with black spots, a row of orange spots, and small greenish flecks on outer margin. Males similar to Common Blue, which lacks greenish spots.
Polygonia c-album Comma Butterfly Has to be the most distinctive butterfly - jagged edge to it's wings, with an orange ground colour and dark markings. It's underwing is mottled brown and has that comma mark from which it earns it's...
Polyommatus icarus Common Blue Butterfly A small, widespread butterfly. The male has blue wings with black-brown border and thin white fringe. The female is brown, similar to a Brown Argus, but with blue dusting near the body, like the...
Polyommatus semiargus Mazarine Blue Butterfly
Pontia daplidice Bath White Butterfly Fast flying and a bit of a nomad.The upperside ,which is rarely seen when the butterfly rests ,has black tips to the forewing enclosing white spots.Underside of forewing has two large black spots...
Pyrgus malvae Grizzled Skipper Butterfly Smaller than most Skippers with more white markings especially on hindwing. Rests with wings open. Both sexes very similar, the male has more angular wings. Two broods except at high altitudes. Flies...
Pyronia tithonus Gatekeeper Butterfly The upperwings are predominantly orange in colour with a wide border of brown along the side of the wing that becomes narrower, but still very noticeable along the leading edge. There is also a...
Satyrium w-album White Letter Hairstreak This Butterfly is named after the white W-shaped line on its hindwing, which also has tail steamers. A small butterfly which lives in the tops of elm trees throughout England and Wales, but is often...
Strymonidia pruni Black Hairstreak Butterfly Upperside (rarely seen when resting) is a dull brown with an orange border.Although the border may be absent from the forewing.Female sometimes has a large orange flush on the forewing.There are...
Thecla betulae Brown Hairstreak Butterfly The upperside of the Brown hairstreaks' wings are a rich brown. The female has a bar of orange on each fore-wing and the orange tails of the hind-wings are quite distinctive. The male is much plainer...
Thymelicus acteon Lulworth Skipper Butterfly Dull orange-brown wings held with forewings above hind wings. Males have black line through centre of fore-wing while females has pale spots on forewing. Darker than Small and Essex Skipper, neither...
Thymelicus lineola Essex Skipper Butterfly

Orange brown - with the male having a small black line on its upperwings. Can also be identified with its antennal club which is black.
Thymelicus sylvestris Small Skipper Butterfly

Moth-like, the male and female butterflies are similar in appearance, with the exception of the black scent line across each upper forewing of the male. Orange/brown with faint black veins and...

Vanessa atalanta Red Admiral Butterfly A striking almost black butterfly with distinctive orange bands across the upper forewings and to the margins of the hindwings, which include a blue patch on the inner wing. There are white patches...