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| UK Status |
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| Resident |
A species which is continually Resident in the UK with stable breeding populations. |
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| Migrant |
A species which occurs as a Migrant in the UK. It may be able to breed here although they are usually unable to survive our winter months. Migrants are normally reported in the UK every year. |
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| Rare Migrant |
A species which occurs as a Rare Migrant in the UK. It may able to breed here although they are usually unable to survive our winter months. Rare Migrants may not be seen for many years. |
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| Extinct |
A species which is Extinct in the UK, usually as a result of habitat loss. |
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| Introduction |
A species which ocurs in the UK as an accidental introduction. |
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Description
The adult Large Heath butterfly always sits with its wings closed. They will fly in dull weather so long as the temperature is higher than 14ºC and its not too windy. The size of the under wing spots of the Large Heath vary depending on its location in the UK. The heavily spotted form sub-species davus is found in lowland England and Cumbria while a virtually spotless race scotica occurs in northern Scotland. An intermediate race polydama occurs elsewhere.
The Large Heath is a Priority Species for conservation due to the continued loss of habitat and resulting drop in population.
Habitat
The Large Heath breeds in open wet areas where the larval food plant and abundant Cross-leaved Heath the main adult nectar source can be found. Lowland raised bogs, upland blanket bogs and damp acidic moorland are preferred.
In Ireland, the Large Heath occurs where manual peat extraction has lowered the surface of the bog, creating damp areas with local concentrations of larval and adult food plant.
Larval Food Plants
The main foodplant of the Large Heath is is Hare's-tail Cottongrass (Eriophorum vaginatum). Larvae may also feed on Common Cottongrass (Eriophorum angustifolium) and Jointed Rush (Juncus articulatus).
British Subspecies
The following sub-species of the Large Heath occur in the UK.
 Large Heath - Coenonympha tullia davus (Fabricius, 1777) - Occurs in north-west England only.
Large Heath - Coenonympha tullia polydama (Haworth, 1803) - Occurs in northern England, Wales and Ireland.
Large Heath - Coenonympha tullia scotia (Staudinger, 1901) - Occurs in northern Scotland only.
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| Stock Photography Library |
| We have 5 photographs of the Large Heath in the British Butterflies photo library |
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BB25 - Large Heath
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BB24 - Large Heath
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BB23 - Large Heath
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BB22 - Large Heath
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BB21 - Large Heath
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| Distribution |
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The Large Heath is only to be found on sites consisting of wet boggy habitats in northern Britain and Ireland with a few isolated sites in Wales and central northern England. It has declined seriously in many European countries. In the UK its continued decline is due to habitat loss through land drainage or peat cutting for use as garden compost.
In Scotland, the Large Heath is still widespread and locally common in the north and west. Colonies tend to be lost due to the loss of lowland raised bogs through drainage, peat extraction and forestry. |
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| Where to see the Large Heath |
The Large Heath is only to be found on sites consisting of wet boggy habitats in northern Britain and Ireland with a few isolated sites in Wales and central northern England. It has declined seriously in many European countries. In the UK its continued decline is due to habitat loss through land drainage or peat cutting for use as garden compost.
Key sites for the Large Heath include:
Shropshire: Whixall Moss.
Cumbria: Meathop Moss.
Ayrshire: Corsehouse Reservoir.
In Scotland, the Large Heath is still widespread and locally common in the north and west. Colonies tend to be lost due to the loss of lowland raised bogs through drainage, peat extraction and forestry. |
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| Population Trends |
| species status |
the Large Heath is a resident species in Britain |
| population trend1 |
(1995-2004)  up by 58% |
(1976-2004)  down by -26% |
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1Fox, R., Asher. J., Brereton. T., Roy, D & Warren, M.
(2006) The State of Butterflies in Britain & Ireland, Pices, Oxford. |
| UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) Status |
| UK BAP status2 |
candidate priority species (link) |
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| 2 For more information about the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) species status, visit www.ukbap.org.uk. |
| IUCN Category Status |
| IUCN category3 |
 vulnerable4 |
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3 Fox, R., Warren, M & Brereton, T.
(2007) New Red List of British Butterflies. Butterfly Conservation, Wareham.
4 More information about IUCN categories available here. |
| Find Out More Online* |
| More information about the Large Heath can be found on Peter Eeles excellent UK Butterflies web site. |
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Aberrations and Forms |
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| We currently know of 6 named aberrant forms of the Large Heath. More information about aberrants can be found here. |
 ab. addenda - Lempke (1936) |
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| ab. cockaynei - Hopkins (1955) |
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| ab. exterfusca - Verity (1953) |
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| ab. lanceolata - Arkle (1913) |
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| ab. macrocellata - Lempke (1957) |
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| ab. parviocellata - Pionneau (1937) |
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| References |
| The information on this web site comes from a variety of freely available resources including books, academic reports and web sites alongside my own personal observations of butterflies. The species descriptions are currently in the process of being edited (spring 2009) to include new data, recent personal observations and referencing following a major update to the site.
A complete list of references mentioned in the text on this web site is available here. |
| * External Links Disclaimer |
| This web site includes links to information provided by external web sites which are not in any way under the control of www.britishbutterflies.co.uk. We cannot, therefore, be held responsible for the content of external web pages. |
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35-40mm
