Foodplants for North Wales Butterflies

You can buy many of these as plants or seed from us by going to plantlist ; profits go towards the work of the North Wales Branch.

(It may help you to remember the scientific names of the butterflies by noticing that they are often derived from the Latin names of their larval foodplant. Also notice how many butterflies within the same family need similar larval foodplants).

To see photos of all these butterflies go to Regional Species or Butterfly Identification Workshop

Name	Larval (caterpillar) Food	Adult favourite nectar
Whites - Pieridae
Orange Tip (Anthocaris cardamines)	Cuckoo Flower /Lady's Smock, (Cardamine pratensis) Garlic Mustard (Allaria petiolaris), Dame's Violet (Hesperis matronalis)	Honesty
Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni)	Purging Buckthorn (Rhamnus catharticus)(on lime soils)and Alder Buckthorn (Frangula alnus) (in wet, acid soils)	Thistles
Large White (Pieris brassicae)	Brassicas, Nasturtiums, Mignonettes	Many garden flowers
Small White (Artogeia rapae)	Brassicas, including Rape	Dandelion, many garden flowers.
Green-veined White (Artogeia napi)	Cuckoo Flower, Garlic Mustard, Charlock, Water Cress	Lavender
Vanessids - Nymphalidae
Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)	Thistles, Stinging Nettle	Michaelmas Daisy, Buddleia, Sedums, Hemp Agrimonies, Marjoram and rotting fruit
Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae)	Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica)	Aubretia, Dandelion, Scabious and as above for Painted Lady.
Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)	Stinging Nettle, Pellitory of the Wall	As above
Peacock (Inachis io)	Stinging nettle	As above
Comma (Polygonum c-album)	Stinging Nettle, Hop	As above and Bramble flowers
Fritillaries - Nymphalidae
Pearl-bordered Fritillary (Boloria euphrosyne)	Dog Violet (Viola riviniana)	Bugle
Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary (Boloria silene)	Dog Violet, Marsh Violet	Bugle, Bird's Foot Trefoil, Creeping Buttercup, Ragged Robin
Dark Green Fritillary (Argynnis aglaja)	Violets	Wild Privet, thistles and purple flowers.
Marsh Fritillary (Euphydryas aurinia)	Devil's Bit Scabious (Succisa pratensis)
Hairstreaks - Lycaenidae.
White-letter Hairsteak (Satyrium w-album)	Old English Elm (Ulmus procera)   and maybe other elm species	Bramble, Scabious, Knapweed and aphid honeydew on tree leaves.
Purple Hairstreak (Quercusia quercus)	Oak (Quercus)	aphid honeydew on tree leaves
Green Hairstreak (Callophrys rubi)	Rock-rose and Bird's foot Trefoil on Limestone and Bilberry on acid heaths.	Hawkweeds, Hawthorn flowers.
Blues - Lycaenidae
Common Blue (Polyammatus icarus)	Bird's foot Trefoil, Restharrow and many other low-growing legumes	Bird's foot Trefoil, Greater Bird's foot Trefoil.
Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus)	Holly for Spring brood, Ivy for Autumn brood.	Bramble flowers
Silver-studded Blue (Plebejus argus)	Rock-rose, Kidney Vetch and Bird's foot Trefoil on limestone, Heathers on acid heaths.
Brown Argus (Aricia agestis)	Rock-rose on limestone, Storkbills and Cranesbills on acid soils.	Rockrose and Downland plants.
Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas)	Sheep's Sorrel, Dock	Creeping thistle, Fleabane, Yarrow, Ragwort
Browns - Satyridae
Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)	Grasses - Wood False Brome, Cock's Foot, Yorkshire Fog.	aphid honeydew, red persicaria
Wall (Brown) (Lasiommata megere)	Grasses - Cock's Foot, Tor Grass and Wavy Hair Grass.	Ragwort, Knapweed.
Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus)	Grasses - Timothy, Fescues and Couch.	Knapweed, thistles, many garden flowers
Grayling (Hipparchia semele)	Grasses - Sheep's Fescue, Bristle Bent, Tufted Hair Grass.	Heather, Thyme, purple flowers.
Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina)	Grasses - Agrostis tenuis, Fescues	Thistles, Knapweed,some Hebes
Ringlet (Aphantopus hyperantus)	Grasses - Timothy, Cock's Foot, Tor and Tufted Hair Grass.	Wild Privet
Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus)	Grasses - Fescues and Bents
Large Heath (Coenonympha tullia)	Cotton Grass	Cross-leaved heath
Skippers - Hesperiidae
Large Skipper (Ochlodes venatus)	Grasses - Cock's Foot, Purple Moor Grass, Wood False Brome.	Thistles, Knapweed
Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris)	Grasses - Yorkshire Fog	Knapweed, thistles, purple flowers.
Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus malvae)	Barren Strawberry (Potentilla sterilis), Wild Strawberry (Ficaria), Tormentil	yellow and white flowers.
Dingy Skipper (Erynnis tages)	Bird's foot Trefoil, Horseshoe Vetch	Bird's foot Trefoil, Greater Bird's foot Trefoil.