7-9. - university of south...
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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.