More related content:<\/p>\n
Guide to Britains dragonflies and damselflies<\/a><\/li>\n
Guide to Britain\u2019s beetles<\/a><\/li>\n
Guide to slugs and snails: how to identify common species and protect your plants<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>
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Pearl-bordered fritillary,\u00a0Boloria euphrosyne<\/em><\/h3>\n
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Another butterfly in rapid decline, having been widespread and locally common throughout southern and western mainland Britain.<\/p>\n
It lives mainly in woodland clearings and on bracken hillsides, but also on rough limestone grassland around Morecambe Bay and along loch sides in the Western Highlands, breeding on violets among fallen leaves or dead bracken litter.<\/p>\n
It flies mainly during May, but has early and late years, depending on the vagaries of spring weather. Cannily, it flies when the bugle, its favoured nectar source, is in flower. This is one of our most graceful butterflies in flight, skimming low over the ground vegetation, pausing only to visit flowers or bask, the males ceaselessly searching for females.<\/p>\n
Where to see pearl-bordered fritillary butterflies?<\/strong><\/p>\n
The New Forest woods north-east of Brockenhurst (Pignal, New Copse and Parkhill inclosures), Bentley Wood in south-east Wiltshire, Cwm Soden<\/a> near New Quay on the Ceredigion coast, Arnside Knott<\/a> and Whitbarrow in south Cumbria, and Loch Arkaig in the Highlands. Try our walk at Bentley wood.<\/a><\/p>\n
Large blue,\u00a0Phengaris arion<\/em><\/h3>\n
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The British race of this magnificent royal blue butterfly was declared extinct in 1979. Since then, the Swedish race has been naturalised in the West Country by a dedicated team led by top butterfly scientist Prof Jeremy Thomas.<\/p>\n
This race is now quite well established in the Polden Hills in mid Somerset, where several colonies result from natural spread. It is also being re-established in the Cotswolds and Devon.<\/p>\n
It flies during June on sunny slopes where the grass is kept short, and visits wild thyme flowers. The larvae feed for a while on wild thyme before becoming predators of the grubs of a single species of warmth-loving red ant. The large blue lives for 10 months underground in the ant nests.<\/p>\n
Where to see large blue butterflies?<\/strong><\/p>\n
Access is difficult at most sites, and most colonies are extremely small. The National Trust runs\u00a0an open access site at Collard Hill<\/a>, near Street, Somerset. This supports one of the largest known colonies in Europe.<\/p>\n

British seasonal wildflowers guide: how to identify, when to see and where to find them<\/h4>\n
A splash of colour can always be found in the British countryside thanks to the wildflowers growing across meadows, coastal cliffs and wet habitats.<\/p>\n
Our expert guide on how to identify, when to see and where to find them<\/a><\/p>\n
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$\""Spring\"$ <\/div><\/div> <\/div> <\/section>
Swallowtail,\u00a0Papilio machaon<\/em><\/h3>\n
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This tropical-looking butterfly is so large and colourful it can be spotted from 200m (650ft) away as it patrols over reedbeds. Today, it flies only in the major river valleys of the Norfolk Broads, where it breeds on milk parsley, a scarce wetland plant.<\/p>\n
It is on the wing mainly from late May through to early July, though it is seldom numerous. In hot summers there is a partial, rather localised second brood during August. Swallowtails love the flowers of marsh thistle, bramble and flag iris, but hate wind. On windy days, they patrol sheltered areas in the lee of woodland.<\/p>\n
Where to see swallowtail butterflies<\/strong><\/p>\n
Pedestrian access is difficult on the Broads, but Hickling Broad National Nature Reserve<\/a> (NNR) and How Hill nature reserve<\/a> are good pay-for-entry sites, and the edges of Marsham Broad and the Butterfly Conservation reserve at Catfield Fen<\/a> are also good. Mid to late June is usually the best time.<\/p>\n
White admiral\u00a0Limenitis camilla<\/em><\/h3>\n
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Our most graceful butterfly in flight, the white admiral effortlessly skims the edges of trees and bushes along woodland rides in southern England, where it is common locally.<\/p>\n
No insect loves woodland bramble flowers more, or graces them better. It is most numerous in late June and early July, but flies for only about a month. The larvae live in honeysuckle tangles situated in dappled shade. Occasionally specimens lack the distinctive white bands. The undersides of these \u2018black admirals\u2019 are especially beautiful \u2013 a once-or-twice in a lifetime experience.<\/p>\n
Where to see white admiral butterflies?<\/strong><\/p>\n
White admirals occur in many southern woods, but they are particularly numerous at Bookham Common<\/a> near Leatherhead in Surrey, Pamber Forest<\/a> south of Reading, and the southern parts of Alice Holt Forest<\/a> in east Hampshire. These woods also support good populations of the large and spectacular silver-washed fritillary, the happiest of butterflies, which flies at the same time as the white admiral.<\/p>\n

British wasp guide: how to identify common species, lifecycle and why wasps sting in autumn<\/h4>\n
These stinging picnic pests don\u2019t deserve our enmity and fear \u2013 they are impressive architects that belong to highly developed and complex societies.<\/p>\n
Our expert guide to wasps looks at common species, their lifecycle and why wasps tend to sting in autumn<\/a><\/p>\n
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$\""Wasp"\"$ <\/div><\/div> <\/div> <\/section>
High brown fritillary,\u00a0Argynnis adippe<\/em><\/h3>\n
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One of the loveliest of our butterflies, large, brilliant orange and most graceful, with pieces of silver on the hind wing undersides. But it is also our most rapidly declining butterfly, and is restricted now to a few bracken hillsides in the West Country, a tiny part of South Wales, and its stronghold \u2013 the lovely limestone hills around Morecambe Bay at the southern end of the Lake District.<\/p>\n
It flies from mid June to late July (later in Morecambe Bay), and delights in basking on bracken fronds and visiting bramble, knapweed and thistle flowers. Its larvae feed on violets among leaf or bracken litter.<\/p>\n
Where to see high brown fritillary butterflies?<\/strong><\/p>\n
Heddon Valley<\/a> in Devon, Arnside Knott<\/a> in Cumbria and the Whitbarrow massif near Witherslack, Cumbria.<\/p>\n
Purple emperor,\u00a0Apatura iris<\/em><\/h3>\n
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No one forgets their first purple emperor, our most impressive butterfly. It is brave, bold and powerful, but is hard to see as it lives mainly in the woodland canopy, is active only intermittently, and occurs at low population density.<\/p>\n
Moreover, it does not visit flowers, though males periodically descend to woodland rides to imbibe moisture, often from unsavoury substances. In normal summers it is most numerous during the first two weeks of July \u2013 look for emperors when the white admirals and silver-washed fritillaries are well out.<\/p>\n
Although associated with oaks in southern forests, it is actually a butterfly of sallow jungles in well-wooded landscapes, with the males gathering on groves of trees on sheltered hill tops, out of the wind.<\/p>\n
Where to see purple emperor butterflies?<\/strong><\/p>\n
Bentley Wood, Wiltshire and Bookham Commons<\/a>, Surrey, Botany Bay, Chiddingfold Forest, on the Sussex\/Surrey border, and best of all, Fermyn Woods, near Corby in Northants.<\/p>\n
Mountain ringlet,\u00a0Erebia epiphron<\/em><\/h3>\n
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This is our only mountain butterfly, necessitating a midsummer trip to the high fells of the central Lake District or the mountains of the south-west Highlands. Most colonies are found above the 500m (1,640ft) contour line.<\/p>\n
There, mountain ringlets blow about in the wind, crashing moth-like into tussocks, and feed avidly on tormentil and, where available, wild thyme flowers. But it is well worth the trip, for no other British butterfly is quite like the mountain ringlet, and the iridescence of freshly emerged specimens is exquisite.<\/p>\n
The flight season is very variable, seemingly consisting of pulses of emergence from early June through to late July, with early and late flying colonies.<\/p>\n
Where to see mountain ringlet\u00a0butterflies?<\/strong><\/p>\n
Ben Lawers NNR<\/a>, Perthshire, is the classic locality in Scotland. In the Lake District, the slopes of Fleetwith Pike above Honister Youth Hostel are renowned, also Wrynose Breast and Cold Pike.<\/p>\n
Adonis blue\u00a0Polyommatus bellargus<\/em><\/h3>\n
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The electric iridescent blue of the male\u2019s wings is almost tropical, making this one of our most special butterflies.<\/p>\n
It is a local butterfly of south-facing chalk and limestone hillsides in southern England, though in favoured places it is often abundant, and it has recently expanded its range due to conservation efforts.<\/p>\n
There are two broods, in early summer and again in late summer. The second brood is usually much stronger, and often coincides with the tail end of the chalkhill blue season, its sky blue cousin. These butterflies both breed on the same plant, horseshoe vetch, in short turf.<\/p>\n
Where to see Adonis blue butterflies?<\/strong><\/p>\n
The south-facing slopes of the Isle of Wight chalk ridge and the Purbeck Hills of Dorset, Denbies Hillside near Dorking on the North Downs, many of the Wiltshire downs, and Rodborough Common in the Cotswolds.<\/p>\n
Brown hairstreak\u00a0Thecla betulae<\/em><\/h3>\n
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The latest of our butterflies to emerge, the brown hairstreak flies from late July into September. This is one of our hardest butterflies to see, as observing it requires much standing around, waiting, searching ash trees with binoculars and neck ache.<\/p>\n
But this butterfly has a cult following and its own website<\/a>. It\u00a0occurs at low population density in landscapes rich in blackthorn, the\u00a0larval foodplant, but is indolent and flies mostly in early mornings.<\/p>\n
The males then laze around, high up on ash trees close to blackthorn hedges or tangles, where they feed from sticky ash buds. Sometimes males and females visit angelica, bramble and hemp agrimony flowers. Females flit about in early afternoon, laying eggs on blackthorn shoots and basking in late summer sunshine.<\/p>\n
Where to see brown hairstreak butterflies?<\/strong><\/p>\n
Alners Gorse<\/a> in north Dorset, Noar Hill in east Hampshire, Shipton Bellinger Roughs in west Hampshire, the Steyning Rifle Range in West Sussex, and Bernwood Meadows in Oxfordshire.<\/p>\n
Small tortoiseshell,\u00a0<\/strong>Aglais urticae<\/em><\/h3>\n
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Red admiral,\u00a0Vanessa atalanta\u00a0<\/em><\/h3>\n
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Painted lady,\u00a0Vanessa cardui\u00a0<\/em><\/h3>\n
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Common British butterfly species<\/h2>\n

Duke of Burgundy,\u00a0Hamearis lucina<\/em><\/h3>\n
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Painted lady,\u00a0Vanessa cardui\u00a0<\/em><\/h3>\n
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Speckled wood,\u00a0Pararge aegeria<\/em><\/h3>\n
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Comma,\u00a0Polygonia c-album\u00a0<\/em><\/h3>\n
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How to attract butterflies to your garden<\/h2>\n

Avoid using pesticides<\/h3>\n
Unsurprisingly, pesticides are harmful to butterflies and other insects. If possible, avoid using them during the peak butterfly months of spring and summer to allow the species chance to thrive.<\/p>\n

How many species of British butterflies are there?<\/h2>\n
According to wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation<\/a>, there are \u00a059 species of butterfly in the UK. 57 of these are resident species and two are regular migrants.<\/p>\n

How many species of British butterflies are there?<\/h2>\nAccording to wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation<\/a>, there are \u00a059 species of butterfly in the UK. 57 of these are resident species and two are regular migrants.<\/p>\n

What is Britain\u2019s rarest butterfly?<\/h2>\nThere are a number of rare species of butterfly in the UK, including the heath fritillary and the high brown fritillary.<\/p>\n

Common British butterfly species<\/h2>\n

How to attract butterflies to your garden<\/h2>\n

Avoid using pesticides<\/h3>\nUnsurprisingly, pesticides are harmful to butterflies and other insects. If possible, avoid using them during the peak butterfly months of spring and summer to allow the species chance to thrive.<\/p>\n

How many species of British butterflies are there?<\/h2>\n
According to wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation<\/a>, there are \u00a059 species of butterfly in the UK. 57 of these are resident species and two are regular migrants.<\/p>\n

Avoid using pesticides<\/h3>\n
Unsurprisingly, pesticides are harmful to butterflies and other insects. If possible, avoid using them during the peak butterfly months of spring and summer to allow the species chance to thrive.<\/p>\n