Butterflies: Common

European peacock

The peacock is one of the best-known native butterflies, with a large colourful eye spot on each wing.

💡 Did you know? The eye spots startle birds; the butterfly can also make a hissing sound with its wings.

Small tortoiseshell

The small tortoiseshell is a reddish-brown butterfly with blue border spots, one of the most common in central Europe. It overwinters as an adult, often in houses and sheds.

💡 Did you know? On warm winter days it may briefly wake and fly around.

Red admiral

The red admiral has striking black, red and white markings. It is a migrant that heads south in autumn.

💡 Did you know? Some red admirals travel thousands of kilometres on their journey.

Painted lady

The painted lady is one of the most far-travelled butterflies, found almost worldwide. Its caterpillars feed on thistles and nettles.

💡 Did you know? In some years they migrate in huge swarms from Africa to northern Europe and back.

Common brimstone

The bright yellow male brimstone is often the first butterfly of the year. It overwinters as an adult: even under snow.

💡 Did you know? Natural 'antifreeze' lets it survive temperatures well below zero.

Large white

The large white is a white butterfly with black wingtips. Its caterpillars eat cabbage and other brassicas: disliked by gardeners.

💡 Did you know? The caterpillars take up mustard oils from the cabbages, making them unpalatable to many birds.

Small white

The small white resembles its large relative but is smaller and more common. It flies in several generations from spring to autumn.

💡 Did you know? It is one of the most widespread butterflies in the world.

Old World swallowtail

The swallowtail is one of the most beautiful native butterflies, with 'tails' on its hindwings. Its caterpillars live on carrot, fennel and dill.

💡 Did you know? When threatened the caterpillar everts an orange, strong-smelling 'osmeterium'.

Orange tip

In the orange tip only the males have the bright orange wingtips. It is a classic sign of spring on damp meadows.

💡 Did you know? Its underside is mottled green and white: perfect camouflage on flower heads.

Common blue

The common blue is one of the most frequent small blues. Males shine blue, females are mostly brown with orange spots.

💡 Did you know? Its caterpillars often live with ants, which protect them.

Map butterfly

The map butterfly has a map-like pattern on the underside. Unusually, its spring and summer generations look completely different.

💡 Did you know? The spring form is orange, the summer form dark; they were long thought to be two species.

Comma

The comma has strongly jagged wing edges and a small white 'comma' on the underside. With closed wings it looks like a withered leaf.

💡 Did you know? The white 'comma' gave it its name.

Meadow brown

The meadow brown is a brown grassland butterfly with an eye spot near the wingtip. It is one of the most common butterflies of summer.

💡 Did you know? It flies even under overcast skies, when other butterflies have long paused.

Marbled white

The marbled white bears a striking black-and-white chequered pattern. It lives on flower-rich, poor grasslands.

💡 Did you know? Despite the pattern it belongs to the browns, not the whites.

Silver-washed fritillary

The silver-washed fritillary is a large orange-brown fritillary of woodland edges. Its underside shimmers silvery green.

💡 Did you know? The female lays her eggs not on the food plant but on tree bark nearby.

Small copper

The small copper glows orange-red and, despite its tiny size, is quite pugnacious. Males defend small territories.

💡 Did you know? In good years it can produce several generations.

Speckled wood

The speckled wood is a brown-and-yellow spotted butterfly of dappled woodland. It likes to bask in sunspots on the forest floor.

💡 Did you know? Males stage spiralling 'dogfights' in sunspots over the best territory.

Holly blue

The holly blue is a pale blue butterfly that often flies high around trees and shrubs. It is one of the first blues of the year.

💡 Did you know? Its caterpillars feed on holly and ivy: hence the name.

Green-veined white

The green-veined white resembles the small white but has green-dusted veins on the underside. It is very common on meadows and verges.

💡 Did you know? The green veins camouflage it perfectly among plant stems.

Ringlet

The ringlet is an almost blackish-brown butterfly with small, pale-ringed eye spots. It flies over grasses in high summer.

💡 Did you know? Freshly emerged it is velvety dark.