Suffolk's Butterflies

On this page      Flight Times of Butterflies      Foodplants of Butterflies      Recommended Books about Butterflies and Moths

Butterfly Conservation is dedicated to conserving both butterflies and moths. For information about the status of moths in Suffolk, please visit the Suffolk Moths website.   Click here to visit the Suffolk Moths website

35 species of butterfly occur naturally in Suffolk, including regular migrants and the newly-arrived Silver-washed Fritillary.

Flight Times Of Suffolk Butterflies
Note:  Flight periods based on results from transects & Suffolk Butterfly records 2000 to 2013
Marbled White and Chalkhill Blue are shown in italics as more information is required to accurately determine their current Suffolk status.
The released Purple Emperor flies at Theberton in July/Augus

Suffolk's Butterflies, their BAP status and larval foodplants

Species Name	Scientific Name	UK BAP* Status	Suffolk Status	Larval Foodplant
Small Skipper	Thymelicus sylvestris	Not listed	Common Resident	Yorkshire Fog, Creeping Soft and False brome grasses
Essex Skipper	Thymelicus lineola	Not listed	Common Resident	Cock’s Foot and Creeping Soft grass
Large Skipper	Ochlodes venata	Not listed	Common resident	Cock’s Foot grass and some other grasses
Dingy Skipper	Erynnis tages	Priority Species	Very rare resident	Bird’s-foot trefoil
Swallowtail	Papilio machaon	Not listed	Occasional visitor or migrant, from Norfolk or the continent	Norfolk - Milk Parsley Continental - Wild Carrot
Clouded Yellow	Colias croceus	Not listed	Rare migrant	Clover, Lucerne and Bird’s-foot Trefoil
Brimstone	Gonepteryx rhamni	Not listed	Common resident, particularly in west Suffolk	Buckthorn and Alder Buckthorn
Large White	Pieris brassicae	Not listed	Very Common resident	Crucifers.  Cultivated or wild brassicas
Small White	Pieris rapae	Not listed	Very Common resident	Crucifers.  Cultivated or wild brassicas
Green-veined White	Pieris napi	Not listed	Very Common resident	Cuckoo Flower, Garlic Mustard, Hedge Mustard
Orange Tip	Anthocharis cardamines	Not listed	Very common resident	Cuckoo Flower, Garlic Mustard, Hedge Mustard
Green Hairstreak	Callophrys rubi	Not listed	Local resident, mainly in the Sandlings and the Brecks	Gorse, Broom, Rockrose, Bird's Foot Trefoil
Purple Hairstreak	Quercusia quercus	Not listed	Resident	Most oaks
White-letter Hairstreak	Strymonidia w-album	Priority Species	Scarce resident, Suffolk BAP species	Elm
Small Copper	Lycaena phlaeas	Not listed	Resident, most numerous in the Sandlings and Brecks	Common and Sheep’s Sorrel and Dock spp
Silver-studded Blue	Plebejus argus	Priority Species	Rare resident confined to the Sandlings, Suffolk BAP species	Heather, Bell Heather, Rock-rose, Bird's Foot Trefoil
Brown Argus	Aricia agestis	Not listed	Common resident	Common Stork’s-bill, Dove’s-foot Cranesbill and Rock-rose
Common Blue	Polyommatus icarus	Not listed	Common resident	Bird’s-foot Trefoil, other trefoils
Holly Blue	Celastrina argiolus	Not listed	Common resident	Holly (spring), Ivy (autumn).  Also other shrubs
Silver-washed Fritillary	Argynnis paphia	Not listed	Recent scarce resident	Commmon Dog Violet
White Admiral	Limenitis camilla	Priority species	Scarce resident, Suffolk BAP species	Honeysuckle
Purple Emperor	Apatura Iris	Not listed	Recent scarce resident	Sallow, Goat Willow
Red Admiral	Vanessa atalanta	Not listed	Common resident and migrant	Common Stinging Nettle and Small Nettle
Painted Lady	Vanessa cardui	Not listed	Common mgrant	Spear Thistle, Marsh Thistle, Creeping Thistle and Stinging Nettle
Small Tortoiseshell	Aglais urticae	Not listed	Common resident and migrant	Stinging Nettle and Small Nettle
Peacock	Inachis io	Not listed	Common resident	Stinging Nettle
Comma	Polygonia c-album	Not listed	Resident	Stinging Nettle, occasioinally Hop, Currant, Elm or Sallow
Speckled Wood	Pararge aegeria	Not listed	Increasingly common resident	Many grasses inc False Brome, Cock’s Foot and Yorkshire Fog
Wall Brown	Lasiommata megera	Study species	Declining resident	Grasses inc Cock’s Foot
Grayling	Hipparchia semele	Priority species	Resident, confined to the Sandlings and Brecks, Suffolk BAP species	Fine grasses on sandy soil
Gatekeeper	Pyronia tithonus	Not listed	Common resident	Narrow blade grasses inc fescues and bents
Meadow Brown	Maniola jurtina	Not listed	Common resident	Narrow blade meadow grasses inc fescues and bents
Ringlet	Aphantopus hyperantus	Not listed	Common resident	Tufted Hair-grass and many other grasses
Small Heath	Coenonympha pamphilus	Study species	Declining resident, especially away from the Sandlings and Brecks	Narrow blade grasses inc fescues and bents
Species Name	Scientific Name	UK BAP Status	Suffolk Status

BAP = Biodiversity Action Plan.

Click here for more information about the National BAP

Click here for information about the Suffolk BAP

Recommended Books on Butterflies and Moths
The following are recommended for identification and reference. Most are stocked by Suffolk Public Libraries. Look at them there before buying

British Butterflies
(in ascending cost; retail price quoted – many are cheaper from booksellers websites)

Butterfly Identification Guide (folding plastic)  by the Field Studies Council. £3 from Suffolk Wildlife Trust.

The Butterflies of Suffolk , 1986, by Howard Mendel & Steve Piotrowski. Published by Suffolk Naturalists' Society. £5 from SNS [You can order from the Museum by phone, 01473 433547].

The Millennium Atlas of Suffolk Butterflies, 2001, by Richard Stewart. Published by Suffolk Naturalists'Society. £5 from SNS [You can order from the Museum by phone, 01473 433547].

Pocket Guide to the Butterflies of Great Britain, 2003, by Richard Lewington. British Wildlife Publishing.  £10.

Britain's Butterflies, 2010, by David Newland, David Tomlinson & Rob Still. Wild Guides. £17.50.

Discovering Butterflies in Britain by Prof David Newland 2006 WildGuides. Where to find particular species. (ISBN 10903657-121-1 - £19.95).

The Butterflies of Britain & Ireland, 2010, by Jeremy Thomas & Richard Lewington. British Wildlife Publishing.  Excellent detail. £22

The Millennium Atlas of Butterflies in Britain and Ireland, 2000, Asher et al. Oxford University Press. £30.

A Butterfly Notebook, 2003, Douglas Hammersley, The Book Guild. £25 or less for paperback.  This is not a comprehensive field guide, but a wonderful collection of large scale illustrations by a local artist, accompanied by informative anecdotes about each species.

British Moths
Comprehensive volumes are pricey.  Order these from the library, and decide how serious you are

Colour Identification Guide to the Moths of the British Isles - Skinner, 2009  This edition is a major update of his standard work.  Apollo Books. £48.  Provides pictures of set specimens of all the British macro moths, showing the range of variation and geographic forms.

Field Guide to the Moths of Great Britain & Ireland by Paul Waring & Martin Townsend with illustrations by Richard Lewington, 2003. £29.95. Something of a breakthrough because it illustrates them wings folded, as well as set.

Concise Guide to the Moths of Great Britain & Ireland by Paul Waring & Martin Townsend with illustrations by Richard Lewington, 2007. £12.95. A simplified version of the 2003 Field Guide above. Features the same illustrations in a ring binder facing an abbreviated text on each species. Excellent for use in the field, and good value.

British Moths and butterflies – a photographic guide Manley, 2008  A & C Black.  An excellent compilation of photographs of micromoths, butterflies and all our macro moths, with good pictures of caterpillars too. A massive amount of information squeezed into a 350 page softback. £21.

Enjoying Moths Leverton, Roy, 2001 Poyser Natural History - this is a super book, inspirational and readable, though not a comprehensive identification guide. About £27 from Amazon.

Britain's Day-flying Moths. Newland, Still & Swash, 2013. Wild Guides. £18 – or less from Amazon.

Butterfly Gardening & Specialist

Gardening for Butterflies, Bees and other beneficial insects, 2010 by Jan Miller £18 from www.7wells.co.uk      [Use code: “BUTTERFLY”]

Breeding the British Butterflies by P. W. Cribb £4 from AES Publications Tel:01277 224610.

The Amateur Entomologists’ Society have a wide range of other publications, indexed on their website: www.amentsoc.org

European Butterflies

Collins Field Guide to the Butterflies of Britain & Europe by Tolman & Lewington, Collins. 2008 edition £19.50 or earlier editions secondhand around £15.

Butterflies of Europe by Tristan Lafranchis, 2004 Paris; Diatheo, £38 softback with a DVD or £33.50 for the book alone. With a unique key to the identification of 440 species supported by close-up photography.

Stockists for specialist entomological books (new and secondhand):

E.W. Classey Ltd - Tel: 01367 244700

Ian Johnson, Pemberley Books - ij@pembooks.demon,co.uk <mailto:ij@pembooks.demon,co.uk

David Dunbar, Aurelian Books - dgldunbar@aol.com <mailto:dgldunbar@aol.com

Atropos Books - books@atropos.info - 01797 367866.

Abe Books - a good source for second-hand books.  This is a marketplace for local bookshops.  www.abebooks.co.uk

Butterfly Conservation no longer sell books (with the exception of their own publications).