In this post we'll take a look at some of the butterfly species found in Speyside. Some are more widespread than others and can be seen in gardens, others are scarcer and less likely to be seen in those places. Not all of them are visible at the same time of year, but this should give you an indicator as to what to look out for.
Red Admiral (Vanessa Atalanta) - A distinctive and common species, the bold red, black and white markings on this butterfly mean that this is unlikely to be confused with any other butterflies. If seen from side on at rest they have a scaly brown colour to them. Within Britain the food plant for the caterpillars is usually Common Nettle. The caterpillars are black and white with spines and irritant hairs along its back to deter birds from eating them. Most commonly seen in the summer and early autumn.
Orangetip (Anthocharis Cardamines) - A distinctive species related to the Whites and Yellows butterfly family. The male is easily recognised by its orange tipped wings that are further tipped by with brown, though it may look black from a distance. When seen at rest from side on the wings are chequered green and white. Females have no orange and have black tipped wings. Adults are seen from mid-April to June.
Large White (Pieris Brassicae) - One of the larger species of whites, the male is recognised by its white wings with black wing tips. The female has two dark spots on the forewings that the male doesn’t have. On the underside of the wings, they are creamy white. Adults are seen from April to September.
Green Veined White (Pieris Napi) - A similar species to the Large White and has similar black and white wing markings but is smaller and the wings are greenish yellow with the veins looking as though they’ve been dusted with greenish powder. Adults seen from July to September.
Common Blue (Polyommatus Icarus) - The most widespread of the blue family, the males are recognised by their blue wings edged black and white. The female has less blue and more brown to the wings with orange spots on the fore and hind wings. The male has light brown underwings with black, white and orange markings on the edge of the wings. The female has much stronger brown on the underwings and the black and orange spots are bolder too. Adults are seen from June to September.
Small Copper (Lycaena Phlaeas) - A small butterfly on the which the forewings are orange with black spots and brown edging to the wings. The hind wings have more extensive brown with orange edging. They tend to hang out in one spot looking to attract females and will aggressively chase off other insects. Adults are seen from April to October.
Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais Urticae) - A distinctive butterfly with three larger spots at the front of the forewings and three smaller ones slightly behind them. The wings are orange and are edged with blue spots that are bordered black. The underwings have both light and dark brown patches that can make it look like a dead leaf. Adults are seen mainly in June and July.
Speckled Wood (Pararge Aegeria) - A distinctive butterfly often found in deciduous woodland, hedgerows and grassland. They are recognised by their brown wings with numerous yellow spots. The forewings each have one black spot with a smaller white spot in the middle. The hind wings have three such spots. Males have less bold colours overall whereas the female has bolder colours, especially with regards to the yellow spotting on the wings. Adults are seen from late April to late October.
Peacock (Aglais Io) - This species has a spectacular pattern of red wings with distinctive yellowish blue eye spots on the wings, which are effective at confusing predators. The eye spots act as decoys so that if they are going to be attacked by birds they will attack the eye spots and leave the body intact. Adults are seen from May to July.
Dark Green Fritillary (Speyeria Aglaja) - Three similar species occur in Speyside. This one has black and orange wings with the key difference being the underwings which aside from having white spots are also greenish. The male has a more open black spot pattern on the wings, with the females appearing bolder with a bolder, denser black spot pattern. Adults are seen from June to August.
Pearl Bordered Fritillary (Boloria Euphrosyne) - An orange and black patterned butterfly that differs from the Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary by having red chevrons on the underside as opposed to black. They also have a black dot on the underwings but it’s much smaller. Adults fly from mid May to mid June. (Not Pictured Here).
Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary (Boloria Selene) - An orange and black patterned butterfly that has numerous white pearl-like markings surrounded by black chevrons on the underwings. They also have a larger central black dot seen on the underside of the wings. Adults are seen from late May to August.
Ringlet (Aphantopus Hyperantus) - A small brown butterfly named for the ringed markings on its wings. The spots themselves are variable in number and size and may look enlarged or elongated, some have their spots reduced to yellow circles and may occasionally lack the black rings. Has a bobbing flight that it makes even on duller days when other butterflies are inactive. Adults seen from June to August.
Scotch Argus (Erebia Aethiops) - A brown butterfly with orange patches and eye spots with white centres. Males look darker than females. The number of eyespots on the upper wings is variable though the male usually has three, and the female four. Has scaly brownish grey underwings. Likes to fly in tall damp grassland and on sunny days can fly constantly. Adults are seen from July to September.
Comma (Polygonia C-Album) - These are large butterflies with orange and brown wings with the wings themselves looking ragged, like leaves that have been munched by caterpillars. Named for the white comma shaped mark on the underside of the wings. Can be seen from March throughout the summer.
Dingy Skipper (Erynnis Tages) - A butterfly of forest tracks and can occur on heathland too. The male has greyish-brown wings whose forewings are paler than their hind wings and has two rows of white spots. The female is much darker brown overall. Adults are seen in May and June.
If you would like a chance of seeing butterflies on a day out you can go to our day guide page at: http://bit.ly/sw_DG