Identifying the Garden Butterflies of the Upper Thames Region Summer Very Top Tip Identifying butterflies very often depends on details at the wing edges (including the margins), but this is less helpful with some summer species. Note the basic ground colour to get a clue to the family and then look at wing edges and eye spots for further identification. The butterfly’s size and actions, plus location and time of year are all helpful . Butterflies that deliberately chase others (and large flies etc.) are usually male. Butterflies spending a long time flying around and investigating an individual plant are probably female. Peacock Red Admiral & Painted Lady The wing tips of PL separate it from Fritillaries Red Admiral & Painted Lady Comma Painted Lady Small Tortoiseshell Speckled Wood Chequered margins andSpeckled large blotches of yellowy creamWood on chocolate background. Often seen basking in patches of sun in areas of dappled sunlight. Rarely visits flowers. Comma Small Tort Wavy outline Blue-ish margin Peacock Speckled Wood Usually less contrasty than the rest with various eyespots and With a straighter border between Blue-ish margin prominent veins Brimstone and Clouded Yellow B has pointy wing tips CY has a white centre to brown spot on hind wing Black tips on upper visible in flight. Small White m and Large White f Very small amounts of dark scales on leading edge of forewing of Small W rarely turn around tip, but Large has large L of black scales that extend half way down the wing Female Brimstone and Green-veined White Brimstone fem looks white in flight but slightly greenish-yellow when settled. Note wing tips very pointed and no dark scales. Brimstones always settle with wings closed. GVW has chevrons of dark grey on upperside and underside of fore wing edge . Male GVW, SW and LW have only one or no black marks on upper forewing; less than females. Small White with most grey Green V W with grey scales scales below centre of hindwing only along the veins Large White with a much larger greenish forewing tip and grey scales more evenly across hind wing. Small Copper SC upperside has orange forewing & black hindwing. Note the orange border on both surfaces. Small Heath is the only UK species with a similar underside, but note the two tones separated by a very pale streak. Large Skipper and Silver-spotted Skipper Note behaviour LS flies higher and seems less forceful in flight. SSS rarely higher than 10cm above ground. 3 bright spots close to body only on the SSS. Rarely there is an arc of bright spots on the LS hindwing Small Skipper and Essex Skipper Underside of antennal tips best feature to check on these species. ES has an abrupt change from orange to a very dark ‘wet inky’ tip that contrasts strongly with orange antennae stems. Small Skipper and Essex Skipper Male Small Skipper has a longish and bent black scent bar. Male Essex has a short straight scent bar. Meadow Brown Ringlet MB and SH single eye spot R and Speck Wood single pupil. SH brighter orange both with multiple eye spots and single pupils. R ringed with creamy halo around each Small Heath Speckled Wood Meadow Brown Ringlet MB with single black eye spot and single pupil, R with multiple eyespots each ringed with a creamy halo Speckled Wood Marbled White Marbled White , striking contrast and black bands across veins unlike the dark veins of Green V White, which run from body to wing edge. Green veined White Common Blue and Holly Blue male Holly Blue and Small Blue Both sexes SB have very dark (but not blue) uppers, with clear margins. Black marks on underside are spots . Both sexes HB have blue uppers and chequered fore wing margin. Black marks on Neither species has any underside are streaked. red lunules. Common Blue and Brown Argus: females BA never has blue scales on wings and BA has chequered margins. BA usually looks more ‘contrasty’ with saturated colours. Behaviour also a good clue. Brown Argus underside & Common Blue underside BBB Common Blue and Adonis Blue Clear border White border chequered by black veins unbroken white Common Blue and Adonis Blue male undersides If seen closed, the wing patterns are virtually the same . Com Blue with Clear Borders and Adonis with chequered borders. Smartphone App iRecord Butterflies Survey an area Butterfly Guide PC recording portal Butterfly Recording for Butterflies of the New Millenium Recording iRecord App Centre for Ecology and Hydrology .