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Lepidoptera

Comma Butterfly (Polygonia c-album)

 

The Comma Butterfly is quite distinctive in appearance, its bright orange and brown colouring and unusual jagged wing shape make it quite easy to identify even from some distance.

Widespread across England and Wales, Comma Butterflies can often be seen in woodland clearings, on open rides, hedgerows and maybe even in the garden. They can be seen on the wing from early March to September, often in a sheltered sunny spot basking in the warm sunshine.

The males are often quite territorial and may be seen patrolling a section of hedgerow or woodland path sometimes quite boldly making their appearance known to other male Commas.

The Comma may also make an appearance on quite cool days with intermittent sunshine, sometimes resting hardly noticeable wings closed in the subdued sunlight, taking flight at even the slightest disturbance heading upward to find a safer perch.

Comma Butterfly (Polygonia c-album) wings closed on a Branch

Comma Butterfly (Polygonia c-album)

Comma Butterfly (Polygonia c-album) in garden on leaf

Comma Butterfly (Polygonia c-album) in garden on leaf

Upper-wings: are orange with dark brown markings. Under-wings are mottled browns with a small white comma shape marking, from which it gets its name.

Comma Quick Info

  • Family Group: Nymphalidae – Browns
  • Wingspan: approx 45mm
  • Caterpillars feed on: Stinging Nettle (urtica-dioica), Hops and Elm.
  • Adults Nectar on: Bramble flowers, Ripe Blackberries, Ragwort
  • Adults Nectar in the garden on: Buddleia (mostly-yellow or White!), Rudbeckia
  • Photographs: Top right – Left – June 2011.
  • Location: My garden, and out on a local walk.
© Urban Butterfly Garden 2010-2024

Green veined White Butterfly (Pieris napi)

 

about

A widespread and common butterfly, the green veined white can be found throughout the UK, similar in size and appearance to the Small White but with noticeable green veined markings on the under-wings.

Green-veined White Butterfly (Pieris napi) - Female on yellow Ragwort Flower

Green-veined White Butterfly (Pieris napi) – Female on yellow Ragwort Flower

The Green-veined white butterfly can be seen flying from early May-September emerging in as many as three broods during the year. The green veined markings on the under-wings darken with every new brood throughout the year, turning from green to dark grey.

Green-veined White Female

Green-veined White Female

Green veined White Butterfly (Pieris napi) male on Wildflower

Green veined White Butterfly (Pieris napi) male

The females are more easily recognised from the males, during the summer months when the wings are closed, by the cream coloured tips on the fore-wings and cream hind-wing.

Its many habitats include Meadows, Woodland Rides, Urban Gardens, Parks and Hedgerows.

Quick Info

  • Name: Green veined White (Pieris napi)
  • Family Group: Pierinae – Whites.
  • Habitat: sunny areas in Meadows, Woodland Rides, Gardens, Hedgerows, Parks and urban Areas.
  • Wingspan: Approx 45-50mm
  • Photographed : 22nd April /10 July
  • Adults seen feeding on wildflowers like: Greater Knapweed, Hemp Agrimony (Eupatorium cannabinum), Daisies, Lesser celandine, Common Ragwort (Senecio jacobaea), Cranesbill
  • Location: South Lincolnshire
© Urban Butterfly Garden 2010-2024

Skippers – Hesperiidae

 
Choose a Family Group
Swallowtail - Papilionidae

Swallowtail
Papilionidae

 Whites - Pierinae

Whites
Pierinae

Skippers  -  Hesperiidae

Skippers
Hesperiidae

Browns - Nymphalidae

Browns
Nymphalidae

Blues - Lycaenidae

Blues
Lycaenidae

Skippers Family Group – Hesperiidae

Hesperiidae are a family of butterflies more commonly known as Skippers, their small size, wing and body shape, give them an appearance more like a moth than a butterfly.

In Britain there are 8 resident species of skipper.

Checquered Skipper (Carterocephalus palaemon)

Chequered Skipper
(Carterocephalus palaemon)

Dingy Skipper Butterfly (Erynnis tages)

Dingy Skipper
(Erynnis tages)

Essex Skipper Butterfly (Thymelicus lineola)

Essex Skipper (Thymelicus lineola)

Grizzled Skipper Butterfly (Pyrgus malvae)

Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus malvae)

Large Skipper Butterfly (Ochlodes venata) on bramble leaf

Large Skipper
(Ochlodes venata)

Bath White Butterfly (Pontia daplidice)

Lulworth Skipper
(Thymelicus acteon)

Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris)

Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris)

Silver Spotted Skipper (Hesperia comma)

Silver Spotted Skipper
(Hesperia comma)

© Urban Butterfly Garden 2010-2013

Small Blue Butterfly (Cupido minimus)

 

Description

The smallest of all the British butterflies the small blue is sometimes known as the “Bedford Blue” or “Little blue” the under-side of the wings are silver gray with black spots, similar to that of the Holly Blue butterfly. The upper-side of both the male and female is a sooty brown although the male has a blue sheen.

Where

Locally Distributed throughout England although mainly found in the Central and Southern Counties

Habitat

Sheltered warm sunny grassy slopes or in hollows and often on chalk hills in places where kidney vetch grows in abundance

Small blue butterfly showing upper-wings

Small Blue © Urban Butterfly Garden 2010-2016

Small Blue Butterfly on grass stem, Tottenhoe Knowls, Bedfordshire

Small Blue (Cupido minimus)

Information

  • Name: Small Blue (Cupido minimus)
  • Family group:Blues – Lycaenidae.
  • When: Early May – late June
  • Size around: 25 mm
  • Larval Food Plant: solely kidney vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria)
  • Adult Nectar Plant: Bird’s-foot trifoil, Horseshoe Vetch, kidney Vetch
  • Population Status: stable
  • Photographed: 27th May 2012, Tottenhoe knowls
© Urban Butterfly Garden 2010-2024

Browns – Nymphalidae

 
Choose a Family Group
Swallowtail - Papilionidae

Swallowtail
Papilionidae

 Whites - Pierinae

Whites
Pierinae

Skippers  -  Hesperiidae

Skippers
Hesperiidae

Browns - Nymphalidae

Browns
Nymphalidae

Blues - Lycaenidae

Blues
Lycaenidae

Browns Family group – Nymphalidae

Nymphalidae are a family of butterflies which includes species more commonly known as “Browns” and “Fritillaries”.

There are 22 species of “Browns” that can be found in Britain, some like the Peacock, Comma, Red Admiral, Meadow Brown, and Speckled Wood are fairly widespread throughout the UK, often seen in many Gardens, Parks, Hedgerows and Woodland.

Camberwell Beauty (Nymphalis antiopa)

Camberwell Beauty
(Nymphalis antiopa)

Comma Butterfly (Polygonia c-album) on Leaf

Comma
(Polygonia c-album)

Gatekeeper-Male

Gatekeeper
(Pyronia tithonus)

Grayling Butterfly (Hipparchia semele) in the sun

Grayling
(Hipparchia semele)

Large Heath (Coenonympha tullia)

Large Heath (Coenonympha tullia)

Marbled White Butterfly (Melanargia galathea) wings open on bramble flower

Marbled White (Melanargia galathea)

Meadow Brown Butterfly (Maniola-jurtina)

Meadow Brown
(Maniola-jurtina)

Mountain Ringlet (Erebia epiphron)

Mountain Ringlet
(Erebia epiphron)

Painted Lady Butterfly (Vanessa cardui) in Urban Garden

Painted Lady
(Vanessa cardui)

Peacock Butterfly in sunshine

Peacock
(Inachis io)

Male Purple Emperor Butterfly feeding on salts

Purple Emperor
(Apatura iris)

Red Admiral Butterfly (Vanessa atalanta)

Red Admiral
(Vanessa atalanta)

Ringlet Butterfly (Aphantopus hyperantus)

Ringlet
(Aphantopus hyperantus)

Scotch Argus (Erebia aethiops)

Scotch Argus
(Erebia aethiops)

Small Heath Butterfly (Coenonympha pamphilus)

Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus)

Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly (aglais urticae) in urban garden on white Buddleia

Small Tortoiseshell (aglais urticae)

Speckled wood butterfly (Pararge aegeria)

Speckled Wood
(Pararge aegeria)

White Admiral Butterfly

White Admiral (Limenitis camilla)

Wall Brown Butterfly - Male - Wiverton Down

Wall Brown
(Pararge aegeria)

Fritillaries
Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary (Boloria selene)

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary
(Boloria selene)

Pearl-bordered Fritillary (Boloria euphrosyne)

Pearl-bordered Fritillary
(Boloria euphrosyne)

Queen of Spain Fritillary (Issoria lathonia)

Queen of Spain Fritillary
(Issoria lathonia)

High Brown Fritillary (Argynnis adippe)

High Brown Fritillary (Argynnis adippe)

Dark Green Fritillary (Argynnis aglaja)

Dark Green Fritillary (Argynnis aglaja)

Silver-washed-Fritillary-Male-Bedford-Purlieus

Silver-washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia)

Marsh Fritillary (Euphydryas aurinia)

Marsh Fritillary
(Euphydryas aurinia)

Glanville Fritillary (Melitaea cinxia)

Glanville Fritillary (Melitaea cinxia)

Heath Fritillary (Melitaea athalia)

Heath Fritillary
(Melitaea athalia)

© Urban Butterfly Garden 2010-2013