Common British Butterflies
Identify the Butterflies in Your Garden and Encourage Them to Visit
Aug 6, 2009
Learn to identify these attractive visitors while enjoying lazy summer days.
Red Admiral
This is one of the most common British butterflies, its striking red and black colouring making it easily recognisable. They arrive from Europe in May and June and lay their eggs on nettles. They feed on the nectar from many plants; clover, Michaelmas daisies, buddleia and also on rotting fruit. Most perish in the winter but a few have been noted over-wintering in the south of England.
The Peacock is so-called because the four 'eyes' on its wings resemble those of the bird. When the Peacock is threatened, it flaps its wings rapidly to display the eyes and frighten off the intruder. It, too, lays its eggs on nettles, which hatch into distinctive black, hairy caterpillars. The Peacock hibernates in crevices in walls, sheds and outhouses.
Comma
This butterfly is found mainly in the southern half of Britain and is another butterfly which over-winters here. Its name comes from the small white mark on the underside of its wings which resembles a comma. It feeds on dandelions and thistle in the early part of the year, moving on to rotting fruit in late summer. The ragged edges to its wings provide it with camouflage whilst hibernating in dead leaves.
Holly Blue
This small, light blue butterfly has a few black spots on its wings and a black border. Its first clutch of eggs is laid on holly leaves in spring, hence its name, while the second, in summer, is laid on ivy. The ivy-fed caterpillars over-winter as chrysalids, emerging as adults in spring. At present, this butterfly is not endangered though numbers fluctuate from year to year.
Brimstone
This is one of the first butterflies to be seen in spring. The male's bright yellow wings provide a welcome splash of colour and its name derives from the old name for sulphur – brimstone. The word butterfly is also reputed to come from its yellow, buttery colouring. The caterpillars feed on buckthorn and the butterfly's distribution is determined by the habitat of the plant. The brimstone is also one of the last butterflies to be seen in autumn, not hibernating until November.
Meadow Brown
They are found almost everywhere in Britain. They are a dark brown colour with brighter orangey patches on their wings. The female is lighter in colour and the 'eyes' on the wings are more pronounced. It lives in fields and roadsides and lays its eggs on grasses. It feeds on nectar from thistles and knapweed. The caterpillars are a yellowish green and blend in well among the grasses.
As its name suggests, this butterfly enjoys feeding on any member of the Cruciferae or cabbage family. The caterpillars are green with yellow stripes and can eat their way through any cabbage. Up to three generations can be produced in a year, the last over-wintering in chrysalis form.
This butterfly is orange and black with a row of blue spots on the edge of its wings. The females lay their eggs on nettles, the black hairy caterpillars spinning a web over the plant's growing tip. The adults hibernate in outhouses and sheds, emerging on the first warm spring days. Again, a favourite food is the nectar of the buddleia.
Painted Lady
A migrant from North Africa each year, this butterfly has orange and brown wings with black and white spots towards the edges of the forewing. The underside is a paler brown with touches of blue. It is found throughout the UK, even as far north as the Shetland Isles, though it cannot survive the cold winters.
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