Butterflies of the World - Lifecycle, Ecology, Taxonomy, Conservation, Photography, Butterfly Holidays, Photo Galleries, Book Reviews and more.........
Text and photographs protected by Copyright © Adrian Hoskins 2007, and must not be published in part or in whole elsewhere without prior written permission from the author.
Butterflies of the British Isles PAGE 1
A gallery of photographs taken by Adrian Hoskins
 
Click here for British butterfly species index
 
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Click on thumbnails to see more photos, and detailed descriptions of the distribution, habitats, lifecycle and behaviour of each illustrated species......
 
Purple Emperor
Apatura iris
 
The magnificent Purple Emperor flies in many of the woodlands of central southern England in July. It is an elusive species, spending much of it's time sitting on foliage high in the forest canopy, but sometimes descends to imbibe mineral-laden moisture from paths. Only the male has the purple sheen, which can only be seen from certain angles. Both sexes gather at special "master trees" in the forest, where courtship and copulation take place. The females lay their eggs singly on the leaves of the foodplant, sallow.
Peacock
Inachis io
 
The Peacock is considered by many to be the most beautiful butterfly in the world. It is a common species in the British Isles, found in woodland, farmland and gardens, where it lays it's eggs on stinging nettles. If disturbed by a bird, it  suddenly flashes it's wings open, displaying the huge false eye markings. The bird will usually be startled for long enough to allow the butterfly to escape. If it decides to attack however, the eye markings then function as a decoy, diverting the attack away from the butterfly's body.
Brimstone
Gonepteryx rhamni
 
The word "butterfly" is thought to be a contraction of the phrase "butter-coloured fly", a term that may have been used by early naturalists to describe the Brimstone. It emerges in late June or early July, and can often be seen nectaring at thistles. In the autumn it settles under a bramble leaf, or amongst ivy, where it hibernates until reappearing in March or April of the following year. In the spring it nectars at sallow catkins, dandelions, primroses and bluebells. The caterpillars feed on buckthorn leaves.
Silver-washed Fritillary
Argynnis paphia ( male )
 
This gorgeous butterfly breeds in most of the larger woodlands of southern England. The males can often be seen in July, chasing females with a leap-frogging courtship flight, during which he showers the her with pheromones. These are released from scent scales ( androconia ) found in the dark streaks on the male's forewings. The female is a dull golden colour, marked with a similar pattern of spots, but lacks the dark streaks. Both sexes are fond of nectaring at thistles, bramble flowers and hemp agrimony.
Silver-washed Fritillary
Argynnis paphia ( female f. valesina )
 
The female Silver-washed Fritillary is usually a dull golden colour, but in a small percentage of females at certain sites the usual ground colour is replaced by a beautiful shade of olive-grey. This form is known as valesina. The butterflies lay their eggs singly in chinks in the bark of trees, chiefly oak. The caterpillars hatch in August and after eating their egg shells go immediately into hibernation. In the spring they feed on leaves of violet flowers growing on the forest floor.
Pearl-bordered Fritillary
Clossiana euphrosyne
 
Another species whose caterpillars feed on violets is the Pearl-bordered Fritillary. It is an increasingly rare species, found in sunny clearings in woodland. When the clearings become overgrown, the colonies die out, so it is essential for woodlands to be managed so that new clearings are regularly created. The butterfly gets it's vernacular name from the row of silvery spots on the borders of the underside hindwings. It flies in May, and can be seen nectaring at bugle flowers on clearings and woodland rides.
Dingy Skipper
Erynnis tages
 
Most people consider the Dingy Skipper to be a drab butterfly, but it's markings are actually quite beautiful. It emerges in early May and is locally common in sheltered grassland habitats throughout Europe. It lays it's eggs on bird's foot trefoil. In sunny conditions the butterfly basks and feeds with it's wings held flat, but when dusk approaches, it settles on dead knapweed flowers, and wraps it's wings very tightly around the seed-head. In this position it is amazingly well camouflaged.
Wood White
Leptidea sinapis
 
The Wood White is a scarce and localised species, found only in a handful of woodlands in southern and central Britain. It has a very delicate but persistent flight pattern, unlike that of the other white butterflies. The butterflies indulge in a fascinating ritual, in which male and female sit facing each other. The male repeatedly flicks out his proboscis, gently whipping the female's wings. The female periodically responds by flicking her wings open, and messages appear to be passed between the butterflies via antenna interplay.
Chalkhill Blue
Lysandra coridon
 
This lovely butterfly breeds in large colonies, on many grassland sites in southern England, and throughout most of western Europe. Like many other members of the Lycaenidae, the caterpillars of the Chalkhill Blue have a symbiotic relationship with certain species of ant. The caterpillars are equipped with glands, which are "milked" by the ants, which drink the sugary secretion. In return, the ants fiercely defend the caterpillar against predatory insects, spiders and centipedes.
Marsh Fritillary
Euphydryas aurinia
 
The Marsh Fritillary is a localised butterfly, subject to major population fluctuations, caused primarily by cycles of abundance of it's parasitoid. It breeds in warm and damp areas of meadow or grassland, where the caterpillar's foodplant devil's-bit scabious grows in profusion. It emerges in May, and the very active males can be seen nectaring at bugle, hawkweeds, and thistles. The females, heavily laden with eggs, are much less active, and rarely fly more than a few metres from the emergence site.
Orange tip
Anthocharis cardamines
 
The Orange tip is a true herald of the English spring, often seen nectaring at bluebells, bugle and dandelions. The females can be confused in flight with Green-veined Whites, but the orange-tipped wings of the male are unmistakable. The bright orange colouration is believed to function as a warning to birds that the butterfly is to be avoided - it's body contains toxins derived from the caterpillar's foodplants.
Common Blue
Polyommatus icarus
 
Despite it's name, this is no longer truly a common butterfly in the British Isles. It still occurs in reasonable numbers on calcareous grassland, and in much lesser numbers in woodland rides, glades and clearings. It's favourite nectar sources include bird's foot trefoil, fleabane, buttercup and marjoram. The butterflies bask on low herbage, with wings held half-open. They roost on grass heads, facing head-downwards, often in groups of up to 5 individuals. It is double brooded, emerging in mid May, and again in late July.
Red Admiral
Vanessa atalanta
 
The Red Admiral is probably Britain's most well known butterfly, and certainly one of the most beautiful, with it's almost perfect pattern of red bands and white spots on a black background. Migrants arriving in the early spring oviposit on stinging nettles growing along hedgerows or in woodland glades, producing a summer brood in the UK which emerges from mid July. On sunny days the butterflies often bask on tree-trunks, always assuming a head-downwards or sideways facing position.
Large Skipper
Ochlodes venata
 
The Large Skipper belongs to the sub-family Hesperiinae, a group of butterflies which all adopt the characteristic resting posture shown in this photograph. The dark streak on the forewings of the male contains pheromones, used to entice females. The butterfly occurs throughout most of Europe in almost any grassy habitat, but favours damp but sunny sites such as woodland glades and rides, meadows, and riverside habitats. Favoured nectar sources include bird's foot trefoil, thistles, clovers, vetches, and bramble.
Small Tortoiseshell
Aglais urticae
 
This is one of our most widespread resident species. It is highly mobile, and is commonly found in woodlands, grasslands, country lanes and gardens. It is perhaps commonest however on farmland, where stinging nettles ( the caterpillar's foodplant ) are profuse, and where there are farm outbuildings where the adults can over-winter. In spring, after awakening from hibernation, the butterflies nectar mainly at dandelions, but the summer brood can be seen at hemp agrimony, knapweeds, ragwort, thistles and marjoram.
   
 

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Almost every British and European species of butterfly is declining rapidly in numbers, due in most cases to loss or degradation of habitats.
 
You can help to reverse the decline by supporting conservation organisations which purchase and manage habitats as nature reserves, and which lobby government at local, national and international levels, often very successfully, to bring about changes in farming, forestry and urban development policies.
 
Please contact the conservation organisations for advice on how you can help protect British and European butterflies and their habitats. You may be able to offer practical help e.g. by monitoring butterfly populations or helping to manage nature reserves. Donations to these organisations enable them to employ ecologists and biologists. Even if you are unable to provide such help, merely having your name on the membership list can be a powerful tool for conservation organisations wishing to demonstrate the levels of support they have for their policies.

 
 
Related subjects :
 
History of the common names of British butterflies.
Habitats in Britain - conservation and management of butterfly habitats.
Species Index - quickly locate articles and photos of British butterflies.
Conservation organisations in Britain.
 
Text and photographs protected by Copyright © Adrian Hoskins 2007-2008, and must not be reproduced or published in part or in whole elsewhere in any form without written permission from Adrian Hoskins. Breach of copyright will be pursued by litigation.
 
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