Butterflies by Species select Adonis Blue Bath White Berger's Clouded Yellow Black Hairstreak Black-veined White Brimstone Brown Argus Brown Hairstreak Camberwell Beauty Chalkhill Blue Chequered Skipper Clouded Yellow Comma Common Blue Dark Green Fritillary Dingy Skipper Duke of Burgundy Essex Skipper Gatekeeper Geranium Bronze Glanville Fritillary Grayling Green Hairstreak Green-veined White Grizzled Skipper Heath Fritillary High Brown Fritillary Holly Blue Large Blue Large Chequered Skipper Large Copper British Race Large Heath Large Skipper Large Tortoiseshell Large White Long-tailed Blue Lulworth Skipper Map Marbled White Marsh Fritillary Mazarine Blue Meadow Brown Monarch Mountain Ringlet Northern Brown Argus Orange-tip Painted Lady Pale Clouded Yellow Peacock Pearl-bordered Fritillary Purple Emperor Purple Hairstreak Queen of Spain Fritillary Real's Wood White Red Admiral Ringlet Scarce Swallowtail Scotch Argus Short-tailed Blue Silver-spotted Skipper Silver-studded Blue Silver-washed Fritillary Small Blue Small Copper Small Heath Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary Small Skipper Small Tortoiseshell Small White Speckled Wood Swallowtail British Race Swallowtail European Race Wall Brown White Admiral White-letter Hairstreak Wood White Butterflies by Family select Hesperiidae Lycaenidae Nymphalidae Papilionidae Pieridae Other Wildlife Other Wildlife Amphibians Birds Dragonflies Mammals Moths Orchids Reptiles Wild Flowers HOMEBUTTERFLIESFORUMPHOTO LIBRARYDOWNLOADSBLOGGSHOPLINKSABOUTCONTACT Hesperiidae Lycaenidae Nymphalidae Papilionidae Pieridae   You can also view an alphabetical list of species by common name or by latin name.     Butterflies by Family Select Hesperiidae Lycaenidae Nymphalidae Papilionidae Pieridae   Family Hesperiidae (Pyrginae and Hesperiinae) The Skippers In Britain, the Hesperiidae family consists of eight (8) native species and one extinct species (Large Chequered Skipper). Known commonly as "skippers" because of their rapid flight, these moth-like butterflies can be split in to two sub-families, the Pyrginae and the Hesperiinae. The Pyrginae tend to be a dull grey-brown colour with highly detailed wing patterns. They tend to hold their wings wide open when basking or folded forward, hugging a plant stem when roosting. They tend to be less widespread and often occur in discreet colonies. The Hesperiinae on the other hand tend to be golden brown in colour and hold their wings in a distinctive fashion. They are triangular in shape when viewed from above. The males tend to have an obvious sex brand (androconica) on the upper forewing making them easily distinguishable from the females of the same species. Chequered Skipper Carterocephalus palaemon UK Status: Resident Dingy Skipper Erynnis tages UK Status: Resident Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola UK Status: Resident Grizzled Skipper Pyrgus malvae UK Status: Resident Large Chequered Skipper Heteropterus morpheus UK Status: Extinct Large Skipper Ochlodes venata UK Status: Resident Lulworth Skipper Thymelicus acteon UK Status: Resident Silver-spotted Skipper Hesperia comma UK Status: Resident Small Skipper Thymelicus sylvestris UK Status: Resident Family Lycaenidae The Blues, Copper, Hairstreaks and Dukes The Lycaenidae family is a group of small butterflies more commonly known as 'blues', 'coppers', 'hairstreaks' and 'metalmarks'. They are some of our most beautiful and most overlooked butterflies despite their often jewel like appearance. The group consists of eighteen (18) native species of which three, the British sub-species of the Mazarine Blue, Large Blue and Large Copper are extinct. The Large Blue has been successfully re-introduced using a sub-species from mainland Europe while similar re-introduction attempts with the Large Copper have so far failed. The Long-tailed Blue and Short-tailed Blue are very rare migrants to British shores while the occurrence of Geranium Bronze is due to accidental imports on pelargonium plants sold in garden centres. It should be noted that the females of most of the 'blues' from this family are actually Brown in colour. The males tend to be blue in most instances although there are exceptions to this rule. Adonis Blue Polyommatus bellargus UK Status: Resident Black Hairstreak Satyrium pruni UK Status: Resident Brown Argus Aricia agestis UK Status: Resident Brown Hairstreak Thecla betulae UK Status: Resident Chalkhill Blue Polyommatus coridon UK Status: Resident Common Blue Polyommatus icarus UK Status: Resident Duke of Burgundy Hamearis lucina UK Status: Resident Geranium Bronze Cacyreus marshalli UK Status: Introduction Green Hairstreak Callophrys rubi UK Status: Resident Holly Blue Celastrina argiolus UK Status: Resident Large Blue Glaucopsyche arion UK Status: Resident Large Copper British Race Lycaena dispar UK Status: Extinct Long-tailed Blue Lampides boeticus UK Status: Rare Migrant Mazarine Blue Polyommatus semiargus UK Status: Extinct Northern Brown Argus Aricia artaxerxes UK Status: Resident Purple Hairstreak Neozephyrus quercus UK Status: Resident Short-tailed Blue Cupido argiades UK Status: Rare Migrant Silver-studded Blue Plebeius argus UK Status: Resident Small Blue Cupido minimus UK Status: Resident Small Copper Lycaena phlaeas UK Status: Resident White-letter Hairstreak Satyrium w-album UK Status: Resident Family Nymphalidae The Fritillaries, Emperors, Admirals and Browns The Nymphalidae family contains species more commonly known as "nymphalids", "fritillaries" or "browns". Thirty One (31) species have been recorded in Britain, of which one (1), the Large Tortoiseshell is thought to be extinct, and four (4) are rare migrants (Camberwell Beauty, Map, Monarch and Queen of Spain Fritillary). Butterflies of the Nymphalidae family are often referred to as 'brush-footed butterflies' because the non-functional pair of front legs are reduced in size and covered with hair-like scales. These forelegs are often tucked under the body of the butterfly. The caterpillars tend to be covered in spines or have other protrusions such as horns on the head or tail. The pupae are angular in shape and are jewel like in appearance with shiny metallic gold or silver spots. An exception to the above rules are members of the sub-family Satyrinae (The Browns and Ringlets), whose caterpillars feed on grasses. The caterpillars also have pointed projections at the end of the body. It should be noted that the Marbled White is a member of this sub-family (its behaviour and life-cycle being very different to other 'Whites' of the Pieridae family found in Britain. Camberwell Beauty Nymphalis antiopa UK Status: Rare Migrant Comma Polygonia c-album UK Status: Resident Dark Green Fritillary Argynnis aglaja UK Status: Resident Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus UK Status: Resident Glanville Fritillary Melitaea cinxia UK Status: Resident Grayling Hipparchia semele UK Status: Resident Heath Fritillary Melitaea athalia UK Status: Resident High Brown Fritillary Argynnis adippe UK Status: Resident Large Heath Coenonympha tullia UK Status: Resident Large Tortoiseshell Nymphalis polychloros UK Status: Resident Map Araschnia levana UK Status: Rare Migrant Marbled White Melanargia galathea UK Status: Resident Marsh Fritillary Euphydryas aurinia UK Status: Resident Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina UK Status: Resident Monarch Danaus plexippus UK Status: Rare Migrant Mountain Ringlet Erebia epiphron UK Status: Resident Painted Lady Vanessa cardui UK Status: Migrant Peacock Inachis io UK Status: Resident Pearl-bordered Fritillary Boloria euphrosyne UK Status: Resident Purple Emperor Apatura iris UK Status: Resident Queen of Spain Fritillary Issoria lathonia UK Status: Rare Migrant Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta UK Status: Migrant Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus UK Status: Resident Scotch Argus Erebia aethiops UK Status: Resident Silver-washed Fritillary Argynnis paphia UK Status: Resident Small Heath Coenonympha pamphilus UK Status: Resident Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary Boloria selene UK Status: Resident Small Tortoiseshell Aglais urticae UK Status: Resident Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria UK Status: Resident Wall Brown Lasiommata megera UK Status: Resident White Admiral Limenitis camilla UK Status: Resident Family Papilionidae The Swallowtails The Papilionidae family consists of one (1) native species. The Swallowtail, is a stunning butterfly which has evolved in to a sub-species due to its isolation and which can only be found on the Norfolk Broads. On rare occasions the European sub-species of the Swallowtail occurs as a rare migrant around the south coast of the UK. The Scarce Swallowtail, as its name suggests is even rarer on British shores. Scarce Swallowtail Iphiclides podalirius UK Status: Rare Migrant Swallowtail British Race Papilio machaon UK Status: Resident Swallowtail European Race Papilio gorganus UK Status: Rare Migrant Family Pieridae The Whites and Yellows The Pieridae family contains species more commonly known as "whites" and yellows (or sulphurs). The pigment (yellows and oranges) which occur in some species from this family are derived from uric acid waste products which deposit themselves on the wing scales during pupation. The pupae of all species from the Pieridae family are positioned in an upright fashion, with a single silk girdle around the middle of the pupae. Of the twelve (12) species recorded in Britain, one (1), the Black-veined White is extinct, three (3) are rare migrants (Bath White, Berger's Clouded Yellow and Pale Clouded Yellow) and one (1), the Réal's Wood White only occurs in the Republic of Ireland. Bath White Pontia daplidice UK Status: Rare Migrant Berger's Clouded Yellow Colias alfacariensis UK Status: Rare Migrant Black-veined White Aporia crataegi UK Status: Extinct Brimstone Gonepteryx rhamni UK Status: Resident Clouded Yellow Colias croceus UK Status: Migrant Green-veined White Pieris napi UK Status: Resident Large White Pieris brassicae UK Status: Resident Orange-tip Anthocharis cardamines UK Status: Resident Pale Clouded Yellow Colias hyale UK Status: Rare Migrant Real's Wood White Leptidea reali UK Status: Resident Small White Pieris rapae UK Status: Resident Wood White Leptidea sinapis UK Status: Resident Main Content More Content Further Information Species List - Species List (text only) Photo Image Library Amphibians - Reptiles Aberrant Forms - Known Aberrants List by Species Free documents and guides to download Dragonflies and Damselflies   Distribution Maps & Flight Times   Gardening for Butterflies   Moths   Lifecycle Charts - Illustrated Lifecycle Guide to Rearing British Butterflies Wild Flowers - Orchids Protected Species & UK Law - Butterfly Collectors Technical Terms Recommended Web Links Butterflies in Winter List of References - Book Reviews   All text, photographs, images & other graphic elements used on this web site are copyright Steven Cheshire 2000 - unless otherwise stated. current visitors 1099 British Butterflies is Carbon Neutral