Butterfly Identification�

Dr Ian Paterson

Chair Lincolnshire Branch BC

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John Davison

Butterfly Conservation

County Recorder

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Moths & Butterflies – different antennae

Moths (thread-like or feathered)

Why count and record Butterflies ?

• Easy !
• Relatively few species (mostly) easy to identify
• UK Butteflies
• 59 Species total
• 57 resident 2 migrants
• Painted Lady Clouded yellow

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• Butterflies are sensitive indicators of how healthy the environment is
• Important as
• pollinators of flowers &
• Food for birds, bats and other insects – parasitic wasps!

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Declining Butterflies amd moths

Since 1970 ‘s

80% UK species have declined significantly in numbers and/or their distribution

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• Species declines track changes in landscape , e.g., changing agriculture practice – habitat losses, forestry increased use of herbicides / pesticides

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• Climate Change: species moving north to be cooler, southern species moving north

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Health of UK butterflies

• Long series (150 years) of historic records in UK
• Show 5 Species became extinct in UK

Mazarine Blue

successfully reintroduced in 1992

• Large Blue

Black-veined White

Large Tortoiseshell

�Large Copper

Lincolnshire’s lost Butterflies

Since 1850’s

10 other species also became extinct in Lincolnshire

– 15 species lost in total

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County extinctions include

Swallowtail

Chequered Skipper

High Brown Fritillary

Silver Studded Blue

Glanville Fritillary

Discovered in Lincolnshire by Lady Granville in 1702

Marsh Fritillary�

now re-established Chambers Farm Wood

Duke of Burgundy 2022

Identification resources

Hard Copy

• FCS leaflets
• Big Butterfly Count sheets
• Books
• The Butterflies of Britain & Ireland J.Thomas &

R. Lewington

• Butterflies of Lincolnshire P.Cawdell & P.Smith

Online Websites

• Butterfly Conservation ID section
• https://butterfly-conservation.org/butterflies

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Mobile Phone Apps

• E.g., Butterflies UK

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The “easy”, Reds- Golds (Vanessids)

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Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)

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Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae)

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Large Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis polychloros)

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Peacock (Inachis io)

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Comma (Polygonia c-album)

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Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)

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Red Admiral

Painted Lady

Small Tortoiseshell

Large Tortoiseshell

Peacock

Comma

Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)

Overwinter stage:

Detail from painting by: Jacques le Moyne de Morgues c.1568

Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae)

Overwinter stage:

Peacock (Inachis io)

Overwinter stage:

Comma (Polygonia c-album)

Overwinter stage:

White “comma” mark

Uniquely

Scalloped wing edges – “dead leaf”

Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)

Overwinter stage: X (migrant species that does not overwinter in UK

photo: Pauline

(www.ukbutterflies.co.uk)

“Whites”

&

Skippers

Common Whites

Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni)

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Orange Tip (Anthocharis cardamines)

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Large White (Pieris brassicae)

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Small White (Pieris rapae)

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Green-veined White (Pieris napi)

Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni)

♂

♀

♀

♂

Overwinter stage:

Orange Tip (Anthocharis cardamines)

photo: Neil Freeman (www.ukbutterflies.co.uk)

♀

♂

Overwinter stage:

Large White (Pieris brassicae)

Overwinter stage:

Male upper wing

Female upper wing

♀

Large White - underwing

Small White (Pieris rapae)

♂

♀

Overwinter stage:

Black only just extends down from tip

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Rounded wing tips

Green-veined White (Pieris napi)

Overwinter stage:

Early spring Male

Skippers

Large Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanus)

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Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris)

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Essex Skipper (Thymelicus lineola)

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Large Skipper Silver-spotted Skipper

Dingy Skipper

Grizzled Skipper

Chequered Skipper

Small Skipper

Essex Skipper

Lulworth Skipper

Large Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanus)

Overwinter stage:

♂

Male

♀

♀

♂

Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris)

♀

♂

Overwinter stage:

♂

Essex Skipper (Thymelicus lineola)

Overwinter stage:

Short straight scent brand

“Browns” (Satyrids)

Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)

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Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus)

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Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina)

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Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus)

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Ringlet (Aphantopus hyperantus)

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Overwinter stage:

Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)

or

Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus)

Overwinter stage:

♂

♂

scent brands

2 white dots in eye-spot

♀

richly coloured underside hind wings with small white spots

Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina)

Overwinter stage:

1 white dot in eye-spot

♂

♂

♀

plain underside

Hind wing

Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus)

Overwinter stage:

Single eye spot –

single white dot

Underwing banded brown, cream, grey

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Always perches with wings closed

Angles to sun

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Ringlet (Aphatopus hyperantus)

Overwinter stage:

♀

♂

photo: Wurzel

(www.ukbutterflies.co.uk)

ab. arete

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eye-spots on underside hind-wing

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White fringes to wings – upper and lower

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Dark brown – NO orange on wings

Lycaenidae

(copper, hairstreaks & blues)

Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas)

Overwinter stage:

Blues

Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus)

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Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus)

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Brown Argus (Aricia agestis)

Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus)

Overwinter stage:

♀

♀

♂

photo: NickB

(www.ukbutterflies.co.uk)

Male forewing narrow black band

Upper forewing only

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(Common Blue whole wing)

Female broad black band

Holly Blue Underwing male

Common Blue (Polommatus icarus)

Overwinter stage:

♂

Blue scales near body

♀

♀

Males

narrow black line along whole edge of both upper wings

Females

Variable brown upperwings

(www.sylvestris.org)

Common Blue

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Extra dot on underside forewing

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absent on Brown Argus

Brown Argus

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Dot absent on underside of forewing.

♂

♀

Brown Argus (Aricia agestis)

Overwinter stage:

♂

♂

♀

Inner dot absent on underside forewing.

photo: Neil Hulme

(www.ukbutterflies.co.uk)

♂

Any Questions ?

Recording basics and Timings

• Recording takes place once a week from April 1st to the end of September.

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• Counts ideally between 10:45 and 15:45 hours. Between 10:00 and 17:00
• butterfly activity may drop off rapidly during the late afternoon so latertimes should be avoided.

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• Record only be carried weather.
• minimum criteria are 13-17C with at least 60% sunshine, or over 17C and not raining.

Fritillaries

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Dark Green Fritillary

(Argynnis aglaja)

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Silver-washed Fritillary

(Argynnis paphia)

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Dark Green Fritillary (Argynnis aglaja)

Overwinter stage:

Numerous silver spots on underside hind-wing.

Silver-washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia)

Overwinter stage:

♂

♂

silver streaks on underside hind-wing.

‘scent brands’ on male fore-wing upperside.

♀

White Admiral & Purple Emperor

White Admiral (Limenitis camilla)

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Woodland specialist

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present in Doddington woods

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Purple Emperor (Apatura iris)

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Rare but increasing seen in County’s woodlands with Oaks and Willow (sallow)

Surveying at Wilder Doddington