Butterfly Identification, page 1.Next Page

This first stage online workshop is to help beginners identify the more common butterflies that they are likely to see in gardens and on walks in North Wales. There are only about 18 of these. There are only 36 or so native butterflies you can see in total in North Wales and you can find out how to identify the scarcer ones by following the Advanced ID Workshop.

Butterfly Outline Shapes
The table below shows the outlines and sizes of the 6 groups of  butterflies you will most often see in North Wales. (the sketches are roughly to scale and actual size.)

 

 

Vanessids;  5 species in North Wales Large, usually brightly coloured above and drab beneath. In North Wales you can see only 5 of these; Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Peacock and the Comma. Click on above outline shape to see photos of all of these. Fritillaries, in the same family, but much scarcer, can be seen on the Advanced ID workshop Frits  page.	Skippers;  4 species in North Wales Small, named after their skipping, dancing flight. Large and Small Skippers hold their wings in a characteristic dart shape, Click on above outline shape to see photos of all of these. Only 2 other species of Skippers are found locally, the Grizzled and Dingy Skippers, and both are now rare. You can find these in the Advanced ID workshop Skippers page.	Whites;  5 species in North Wales Predominantly white butterflies with some black markings. Only 4 species common locally; Large and Small Whites ("Cabbage Whites"), Green-veined White and Orange Tip. If you are lucky you may see a butter-yellow Brimstone butterfly, which has a distinct point on all wings. Scarce in North Wales. Click on above outline shape to see photos of all of these.
Blues and Coppers;  5 species in North Wales Generally quite small and bright blue, females sometimes being brownish on top. Only 2 common blue species locally - the Common Blue  and the Holly Blue.The Small Copper is orange, but is in this family also. Click on above outline shape to see photos of all of these. The only other blue butterfly recorded in N.Wales is the Silver-studded Blue that stays in very small areas and is rare. The Brown Argus is all brown and restricted to limestone areas.  It is thought the Small Blue is now extinct in North Wales.See the Advanced ID workshop Blues page for more about how to distinguish these scarcer species.	Browns;  8 species in North Wales Medium sized butterflies, generally brown in colour. Most species have a characteristic black and white 'eye-spot'. The 2 common ones you will see are the Meadow Brown and the Gatekeeper. The Speckled Wood is one of the few that has actually increased in the area in recent years. And if you're lucky you might see a Ringlet or a Wall Brown. Click on above outline shape to see photos of all of these. Also in the Browns family in North Wales, we have Small and Large Heath and Grayling. Some of these can be difficult to tell apart from each other or the more common Browns - see the Advanced ID workshop Browns for help with this.	Hairstreaks;  3 species in North Wales Small-medium butterflies with short tails on the hind wings and a thin white streak on the underwing. All are unfamiliar in North Wales; the White-letter Hairstreak and the Purple Hairstreak are seldom seem, partly because both tend to stay at the top of trees. The Green Hairstreak is a bright irridescent green and can be found in two different habitats in the region.. Click on above outline shape to see photos of all of these.