Species Accounts
Accounts have been prepared for species one would expect to see somewhere in our branch area. Occasional vagrants or rare
migrants, like the Camberwell Beauty, are not included. Accounts for two new species, namely the Adonis Blue and the Duke of Burgundy, have
now been added (2021). The 38 associated species are listed on the left hand panel.
The top of each species page shows two images of the adult butterfly uppersides usually with the male on the left and the female on
the right, but in some cases both sexes look very similar. If the butterfly is on the 'Red' List indicating vulnerability then the logo highlighting
the butterfly's status will be displayed. Clicking on the logo loads an account for the species from the Butterfly Conservation's website. Each
species is described under the following headings:
Distribution and Status
The current range and status of the species in the two counties and how the species has fared since the 1980s when
Sawford's and Plant's books on butterflies for Hertfordshire and London respectively, were published. Andrew Wood's recent publication
and his annual reports were consulted to prepare this section. The distribution map is taken from the latest (2023) annual report. The mapping is run over a
5-year cycle (e.g. 2015-2019) so that comparisons can be made with the previous 5-year period. The coloured circles represent a measure of abundance. For example, a red circle
indicates that at least ten specimens were seen on one visit to a site in the tetrad (2km square)
Habitat Requirements
The habitats the species is most likely to be found
Larval Foodplants
The main foodplants are listed first. The foodplants indicated inside the square brackets are secondary as listed in Roger Dennis' book (see below) and a special mention may be made here specific to Hertfordshire and Middlesex. More details of nearly all the plants can be found on the Plant Atlas 2020 website to which a link is provided
Adult Food Sources
The flowers most likely to be visited for nectar for the butterfly. The top three ranked nectar sources are listed in order of the number of
observed or quoted instances of the species using that source according to Roger Dennis' book. Other food sources like aphid honeydew will also be mentioned
Behaviour/Observation notes
Things to look out for when out in the field and the best times of the day to take close-up photographs. Behaviour of
the sexes are different and may be explained here like male territorial activity. Also provided are distinguishing features for
look-alike species
Life History
The months in the year when we are most likely to see the butterfly on the wing. The phenology chart on the right
illustrates the previous year's flight times against the average during the prior decade (e.g. 2000-2009). A brief description of the
butterfly's life cycle is provided including the stage in which the butterfly overwinters
Further information
More information on the species can be found on this and other websites for which associated links are listed here
Eeles, P., UK Butterflies website
References
Dennis, Roger L.H. (2010), A Resource-based Habitat View for Conservation, Butterflies in the British Landscape, Wiley-Blackwell, Chichester, West Sussex
Eeles, P. (2019), Life Cycles of British & Irish Butterflies, Pisces Publications
Plant, Colin W. (1987), The Butterflies of the London Area, London Natural History Society, London
Riley, Adrian M. (2007), British and Irish Butterflies, Brambleby Books, Luton
Sawford, Brian (1987), The Butterflies of Hertfordshire, Castlemead Publications, Ware
Thomas, Jeremy and Lewington, Richard (2014), The Butterflies of Britain & Ireland, British Wildlife Publishing, Oxford
Wood, Andrew (2016), Butterflies of Hertfordshire and Middlesex, Hertfordshire Natural History Society, St. Albans
Wood, Andrew (2017), Hertfordshire and Middlesex Butterflies February 2017 (covering 2016 records), Hertfordshire and Middlesex Branch of Butterfly Conservation
Wood, Andrew (2018), Hertfordshire and Middlesex Butterflies February 2018 (covering 2017 records), Hertfordshire and Middlesex Branch of Butterfly Conservation
Wood, Andrew (2019), Hertfordshire and Middlesex Butterflies February 2019 (covering 2018 records), Hertfordshire and Middlesex Branch of Butterfly Conservation
Wood, Andrew (2020), Hertfordshire and Middlesex Butterflies February 2020 (covering 2019 records), Hertfordshire and Middlesex Branch of Butterfly Conservation
Wood, Andrew (2021), Hertfordshire and Middlesex Butterflies February 2021 (covering 2020 records), Hertfordshire and Middlesex Branch of Butterfly Conservation
Wood, Andrew (2022), Hertfordshire and Middlesex Butterflies February 2022 (covering 2021 records), Hertfordshire and Middlesex Branch of Butterfly Conservation
Wood, Andrew (2023), Hertfordshire and Middlesex Butterflies February 2023 (covering 2022 records), Hertfordshire and Middlesex Branch of Butterfly Conservation
Wood, Andrew (2024), Hertfordshire and Middlesex Butterflies February 2024 (covering 2023 records), Hertfordshire and Middlesex Branch of Butterfly Conservation
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