Orange-tipJnl/;()dhrris (·..lrd(.unillcs

A medium-small butterfly, with a wingspan

of about 45mm. Males are very distinctive,

white above with extensive orange wing­

tips edged with black: females lack theorange and have a large,' black tip. Below,

the hindwings a,'e marbled, ,'athe,- like a

Bath White, though the upper surface has

much less black than that species.Habitat Flowery, often damp places, suchas wet meadows and wood bOl'ders. Its

main food-plants include Cuckoo Flowerand Ga,'lic Mustard.Status and distribution A common

species th,'oughout the area, except theextreme north, but ,'arely abundant.Season 4-6.

Clouded Yellow

(,'()h.b O'()d\l

Beautiful and distinctive butterflies (as a

group), with a wingspan of about 50­

55mm. The wings a,'e bright yellow-orangeabove, with broad black margins: the

undersides are yellow, with small black

spots and a double white spot on the hind­wings, ringed with pink.

Habitat Sunny, flowery places, especially

common in Lucerne fields. Food-plantsinclude Lucerne, vetches and other

legumes.Status and distribution Widespread,

occurring throughout the area; it migratesinto the area from the south, breeds in

good years, but does not survive the north­ern winters; very variable in abundance.Season 4-10.

Similar species

* Pale Clouded Yellow C. hyale is very

similar, but slightly smaller and with paleyellow upper surfaces to wings (almost

white in female). Similar habitats toClouded Yellow, though rather less com­

mon or widespread. Rare vagrant in UK.

122 LEP'DOPTERA

* Berger's Clouded Yellow C. australis

is very hard to separate ff'OmPale CloudedYellow, though upper hindwing of Berger's

is usually brightet' yellow in males. Stillsometimes considered as a variety of Pale.

Similat' habitats, though generally moresouthern.

Brimstone

C;()/!cjJ/cryx rhdJJllli

An aw'active and distinctive lat'ge butterfly:

wingspan about 60mm. Both sexes have'leaf-shaped' wings: males are bt'ight yellow

allover (the original 'buttet' fly') and couldnot easily be confused with any other

species; females are greenish-white, thoughtheir shape and lack of black separatesthem from the 'whites'.

Habitat A very mobile species, mainly

occurring in open woodland and scrub, andrough flowery places. The lan'al food­

plants are Alder Buckthorn and PurgingBuckthorn.

Status and distribution Widespread

and common throughout, except N Britain.Season 3-10, usually with a gap in mid­

summer; adults hibernate and may emerge

on warm winter days.

Wood White

f.efl!ide,) sillaf)is

A small delicate butterfly, with a wingspan

of about 40mm. Basically white with grey­

ish markings and males have black tips to

forewings; no black spots. Flight is muchmore delicate and fluttery than SmallWhite.

Habitat Sheltered flowery places such aswoodland rides.

Status and distribution Widespread

through most of the area, though very localin the Low Countries, and absent from N

Britain; common in Ireland.

Season 5-9, usually with a gap in mid­

summer in anyone place.

HAIRSTREAKS Members of the large

family Lycaenidae (which also includes theBlues and Coppers). The hairstreaks are

quite a distinctive group, generally brown­ish in colour, with short 'tails' on the hind­

wings, and there are often white streaks on

the undersides of the wings.

Brown Hairstreak

Thee/a belli/ae

A small butterfly; wingspan about 35mm.

Upper wing surfaces brown (with a large

orange patch on the female's forewing), but

undersurfaces essentially orange, streakedwith white.

Habitat Open woodland, scrub and

hedgerows; most frequently seen high in

the trees, occasionally coming down to

flowers. Inconspicuous. The main food­plant is Blackthorn.

Status and distribution Very local inEngland, north to the Midlands; wide­

spread, though never common, on theContinent.Season 7-9.

Purple Hairstreak

Quercltsia quercusSimilar in size to Brown Hairstreak, with

typical hairstreak shape, but with grey

underwings and iridescent purple-blueupper surfaces (overall in males, but at base

of forewings only in females).

Habitat Older woodland areas, especiallywhere mature oaks are present. Tends to

keep high in the trees, only rarely coming

down. Oak is the main food-plant.

Status and distribution Widespreadthroughout, except for N Britain. Quite

common, though easily overlooked.Season 6-B.

* lIex Hairstreak

Nordmannia i/icis

A predominantly brown hairstreak, though

both sexes have white lines and orange

dots below; the female has an orange spoton the upper surface of the forewing.

124 LEPIDOPTERA

Habitat Open woodland and scrub, visit­

ing flowers more readily than most hair­streaks.

Status and distribution Widespread

north to S Scandinavia, but very local in the

north of its range.Season 6-B.

White-letter Hairstreak

SlrY"HJI1idia w-al/JllII1

Slightly smaller than the above hairstreaks;

generally brown, with orange below, andwhite streaks partly in the form of a 'W' ­

hence the Latin and English names.

Habitat Open woodland and hedgerows,

where Elm is present. The food-plant is

Elm, and it rarely strays far from them.Most often seen up in the trees, but doescome down to Bramble and Privet flowers.Status and distribution Local in S

Britain; more widespread on the Conti­

nent, though never common, and absentfrom some areas.Season 6-B.

Similar speciesSee Black Hairstreak, below.

Black Hairstreak

SlrYll1011idia prlmi

A predominantly brown hairstreak, with awingspan of about 35mm. Both sexes

similar, almost always seen with their wings

closed; the undersides are golden-brown,with a white line and a broad orange band

towards the edge, fringed with black dots.Can resemble White-letter, but these rowsof black dots are much more distinct

in Black Hairstreak.

Habitat Woodland edges and clearings,or old hedges near woodland. Its main

food-plant is Blackthorn (or, less often,other species of Prunus), and it does notmove far from it.

Status and distribution Very local in

the UK, only in the SE English Midlands.

More widespread on the Continent, but

local and absent from many western areas.Season 6-B.

Green Hairstreak

Cdlullhrys ml,i

A small butterfly, with a wingspan of

30--3Smm; similar in shape to other hair­streaks, but with the 'tails' much reduced.

The undersides of the wings are an unmis­

takable iridescent green, with an inter­

rupted white streak; the dull brown uppersurfaces are rarely seen.

Habitat A variety of habitats, includingheath land, pastures and open woodland,

reflecting its wide range of food-plants,which include Bilberry, Dyer's Greenweed,

Rock-rose and various legumes.Status and distribution Widespread

throughout the area, though rather local;rare in northern Britain.Season 4-7.

BLUES AND COPPERS The remainder

of the family Lycaenidae is made up of these

2 groups which are, as their name suggests,generally blue or coppery in appearance.More extreme examples of coppers and

blues are quite distinct, but some species,and especially some females, overlap. They

are all small butterflies, frequently with

underwings heavily dotted black, often

edged with orange.

Small Copper

I. YCLlCII<lp!J/acas

An attractive little butterfly, with a

wingspan of 30--3Smm. Generally orange inappearance, with forewings above being

orange, dotted and edged with black; hind­

wings are brown edged with orange; below,the wings are orange, dotted with black,

though rather variable.

Habitat Rough, sunny, flowery places,

including pastures and heaths, wherever its

most frequent food-plant - Sheep's Sorrel- occurs.

Status and distribution Widespread

and moderately common throughout thearea, though rare or declining in intensively

agricultural parts.

126 LEPIDOPTERA

Season 4-9 in several generations.Similar species

* Sooty Copper Heodes tityrus is similar

in size and shape, but much darker brown- males are almost all dark brown. Wide­

spread on ~he Continent from N Germanysouthwards.

large Copper

l.)'CLlClhl dis/hlr

A distinctly larger insect; wingspan up to

4Smm. Very strongly orange-coloured,

with upper surfaces of wings almost

entirely so, edged with black; undersidesappear more greyish, because the hind­

wings (which are most visible) are grey,

dotted black and edged with orange.Habitat Damp grassy places such as fens,

where its main food-plant, Great WaterDock, occurs.

Status and distribution Very rare, in­troduced, in the UK, in E Anglia only. On

the Continent, mainly in central Europe;absent from much of W France and Scan­dinavia.

Season 6-9.

Similar species

* Scarce Copper Heodes virgaureae has

males that look very similar above, but are

brown spotted black below; females areheavily spotted with black above. Similarhabitats, but more local and eastern.

* Purple-edged Copper

I'Ll/aC(lchrys()/,hLlI111S hip/Ju/h()c

Broadly similar in form to Large Copper,

though smaller in size and, as the name sug­

gests, with a purple edge to the hindwing,and a broad dark edge on both wings. The

undersides are pale grey-brown, with finedark spots.Habitat In damp fields and poor fens,

feeding on species of dock and Polygonum.Status and distribution Local and

mainly eastern on the Continent, com­

monest in hilly areas.Season 6--8.

* Short-tailed Blue

128 LEPIDOPTERA

~

rco

@

Long-tailed Blue •.

Chalkhill Blue

l.ysdlldrd coridoll

A large blue: wingspan almost 40mm. Males

are very distinctive, pale silvery blue above,

with a dark margin and a chequered fringe;females are brown. The underwings are

paler than most species, heavily spottedwith black, and orange towards the hind­

wing margins.

Habitat Flowery chalk or limestone hill­sides, where Horseshoe Vetch or related

small legumes occur.Status and distribution In UK, confined

to S England:a southern species on the Con­

tinent, from central Germany southwards.Season 6-8.

Holly Blue

Ce/astrilld argio/lls

A medium-sized blue; wingspan about

35mm. The upper surfaces of the wings arc

clear blue, edged with black (narrowly inmales, more broadly in females, which can

look very dark): the undersides are grey·blue with black dots, no orange.

Habitat Open woods, hedges and gar­

dens, wherever the two food-plants, Hollyand Ivy, are present. The spring and sum·mer generations alternate between these

two food-plants respectively.

Status and distribution Widespreadthroughout, though absent from N Britain:

rarely common, and prone to wide fluctu­ations in numbers.

Season 4-9, with a gap in the middle.

Similar species* Green-underside Blue G/oucopsyche

alexis is slightly larger, similar in pattern butdarker blue above, and the greyish under­

side has an iridescent greenish patch on thehindwing. Absent from the UK and much ofNW Europe, widespread elsewhere.

El'cres argiadcsA small butterfly, about 25mm across. Up­

per sides of wings almost wholly blue (male),

edged darker, while females are brown; bothsexes have a distinct short tail on the hind­

wings: undersides pearly-grey with fine lines

of black dots, and orange on hindwings.

Habitat Flowery, gras~y places, feedingon various legumes.

Status and distribution Widespread onthe Continent, but absent from much of thenorth-west.

Season 5-8.

Similar species* Long-tailed Blue Lampides boeticus is

rather similar, but the tails are more con­

spicuous, with 2 black dots on the wingclOse to them. Under-sides have a latticed

pattern. Similarhabitats, from central

Germany southwards

Small or Little Blue

ClIpido lIIillilllllS

As the name suggests, a very small butterfly,

with a wingspan of about 25mm, though

variable in size. The upper surfaces of thewings are uniform in colour, bluish-black inmales, browner in females, with a white

fringe. Undersides blue with black dots, noorange.

Habitat Dry, flowery grassland, where

the food-plant Kidney Vetch occurs.

Status and distribution Widespreadthroughout the area, but rather local, andabsent from some parts.Season 5-7.

Silver-studded Blue

1'/"/;";115 arglls

A smallish blue; wingspan about 30mm.

Upper surface of male is blue, with a broad

black border on the forewing, and a whitefringe; females are browner, with a band of

orange spots neal" the edge. The under­sides are pearly-grey, with orange spots; a

few of these on the hindwing have blue

'studs' -a distinctive feature, shared only bythe Idas Blue.

Habitat Most frequent on heaths, less

common in grassy places; heather and var­

ious legumes are the food-plants.Status and distribution Local and

strongly southern in the UK, widespreadthroughout the Continent.Season 6-8.

Similar species* Idas Blue Lycaeides idos is almost identi­

cal, differing in tiny details such as the

absence of a spine on the front tibia. Wide­

spread in rough, flowery places, especiallyacid and/or upland.

* Mazarine BlueC)'L1lliris se}}lidrglfs

Rather similar in size and colour to the

Silver-studded Blue, though the undersides

of the wings are greyish-blue with dark

spots, completely lacking any orange mark­ings.

Habitat Flowery rough grasslands. The

larvae feed on various legumes.

130 LEPIDOPTERA

Status and distribution Became extinct

in the UK at the end of the 19th century.Widespread throughout the rest of NEurope.Season 6-8.

Brown Argusi\rida d,f.!,£'stis

A medium-sized blue; wingspan is about

30mm. Both sexes are similar, basicallybrown, very similar to females of other'

blues such as the Common Blue (seep.132). However, they are a clearer brown.

lacking any blue tinge, with bright orange

spots on both wings and a black spot in the

centre of the forewing; the undersides aremuch paler.

Habitat Sunny, rough, flowery places,where rock-rose, storks bills or cranesbillsare abundant.

Status and distribution Local and

strongly southern in the UK; mainly south­ern on the Continent, reaching N Ger­many.Season 5-8.

Similar speciesNorthern Brown Argus (or MountainArgus) A. ortoxerxes is very similar (and stillsometimes described as a variant of Brown

Argus). The orange spots are smaller, andthere is usually a white spot on each

forewing. A butterfly of northern andmountain areas; very local in the UK fromDerbyshire northwards.