Butterflies

Butterflies seen on beaches and the coast

  THE HAIRSTREAKS

Green hairstreak
callophrys rubi

  COPPERS

Small Copper butterfly
lycaena phlaeas

The small cooper is indeed very small. And very fluttery.

  THE BLUES

I love the blue butterflies but I have a habit of getting overexcited when I see them so any photos I manage to get are often blurred...

Common blue

polyommatus icarus

male above and below right

female above left and and below 

Holly blue

celastrina argiolus

  THE SKIPPERS

Large Skipper

ochlodes sylvanus

Above: This is a female as it has bolder markings of orange

Below: male - more muted markings

Small skipper

  THE BROWNS

The primary role of the brown butterflies is to confuse and frustrate. They all have far more similarities than differences and move very quickly - leaving you to try identify one from another from just a flash of brown. And yes, that flash of brown could also be a female blue...

Gatekeeper Butterfly
pyronia tithonus
aka Hedge Brown Butterfly

Above: The male has a brown band in the middle of the forewing which the females do not have (below).

Note the two white spots in the black mark which the Meadow Brown and the Small Heath do not have

Speckled wood

pararge aegeria

Meadow Brown

Above: Meadow Brown female

Above: Meadow Brown male

Small heath

coenonympha pamphilus

They are always reluctant to open their wings and prefer settling with their wings shut. Very frustrating for people wanting to take photos of them!

Wall
lassiommata megera

Large wall brown
lassiommata maera

Ringlet
aphantopus hyperantus

  THE ARISTOCRATS

Red Admiral
vanessa atalanta

Males are slightly smaller than females but otherwise not easy to tell apart (unless you are a butterfly...)

Painted Lady

vanessa lady

Comma
polygonia c-album

Small tortoiseshell
aglais urticae

Peacock
inachis io

  THE FRITILLARIES

Silver washed fritillary
argynnis paphia

Females are duller than the males, and larger.

Small pearl-bordered fritillary

boloria selene

  THE WHITES

Large white male
aka Cabbage White 

pieris brassicae

The female has prominent black spots on her forewing, the male has none.

Below: The chrysalis of a Large White

Small White butterly

Small whites have less extensive black tips than large whites, and they are also smaller.

Males above, do not have black wing spots, unlike females, below.

The female is larger than the male (as is the case in most butterfly species).

Orange tip butterfly (male)

anthocharis cardamines

The females don't actually have the orange tips.

Brimstone
gonepteryx rhamni

This is a female with her pale green wings. Males are bright yellow.

Green-veined white butterfly
pieris napi

 SWALLOWTAILS

Swallowtail (continental)
papilio machaon gorganus

Scarce swallowtail 
iphiclides podalirius

Marbled white (female)
melanargia galathea