Painted Lady, Vanessa cardui. The Painted Lady is a long-distance migrant, spreading northwards from the desert fringes of North Africa, the Middle East, and central Asia arriving in May and June. It’s a truly global species present on every continent except South America and Antarctica and is one of the few found in Iceland.
Peacock, Inachis io. Probably the longest-lived butterflies in Britain (some even managing to see their 11th month) adults hibernate through the winter and make an early spring appearance. Frequent visitors to Buddleia later in the year when building up fat prior to hibernation, their preferred breeding habitat is large nettle beds in sheltered sunny situations.
Purple Hairstreak, Neozephyrus quercus. The Purple Hairstreak is our commonest Hairstreak and is primarily found in woodland containing oak trees (hence quercus), the foodplant of the larva. The male is hard to spot as they spend much time high in the tree canopy feeding on honeydew. They may come lower in periods of prolonged drought.
Red Admiral, Vanessa atalanta. The Red Admiral is a common and regular migrant to the UK although some of the population survive the winters in Southern UK and it can be seen on sunny winter days. As well as gathering nectar from Buddleia, Ivy blossom and Bramble they are also partial to rotten fruit.
Ringlet, Aphantopus hyperantus. This is a relatively common species but isn’t seen so frequently on the Parkland Walk these days. It prefers damp woodland edges and clearings rather than exposed sunny meadows.
Small Copper, Lycaena phlaeas. There are typically 2 or 3 generations each year between late April and October, depending on the weather, with 4 generations in extremely good years. Males are territorial, often choosing a piece of bare ground or a stone on which to bask and await passing females. They behave aggressively towards any passing insects and even shadows of passing […]
Small Skipper, Thymelicus sylvestris. Small Skippers are insects of high summer. Although they spend much of their time basking or resting among vegetation, they are marvellous flyers, manoeuvring expertly through tall grass stems. The favoured food plant is Yorkshire Fog/ They are strongly attracted to purple flowers such as Thistles and Knapweeds.
Small Tortoiseshell, Aglais urticae. Unfortunately, this most-familiar of butterflies has suffered a worrying decline, especially in the south, over the last few years. One theory is the increasing presence of a particular parasitic fly, Sturmia bella, due to global warming. It is believed that the lifecycle of the Small Tortoiseshell is better-synchronised with that of the fly and it is therefore more […]
Speckled Wood, Pararge aegeria. This species is unique among the butterflies of the British Isles in that it can overwinter in 2 stages, as both a larva and pupa. As a result, there is a mixed emergence with adult butterflies on the wing from April through to September, with a few adults being seen as early as March or as late as […]
White-letter Hairstreak, Satyrium w-album. Flying high in the treetops, it gets its name from the “W” formed from a series of white lines on the underside of the hindwings. Best seen in early morning or late afternoon, when they come down to nectar on various flowers, Thistle, Bramble and Privet being favourites. They never settle with their wings open.
