Look out for Butterflies! | Northamptonshire Biodiversity Records Centre

Butterflies are the focus of our latest survey. With 57 resident species in the UK and two regular migrants, they are a fantastically diverse and colourful species group to look out for. At the base of the article you will find a recording form where you can add your sightings.

Being so diverse the NBRC thought it would be a good idea to put together a guide for spotting few notable species to get you started. There is also a link to the Wildlife Trust for Beds,Cambs and Northants’ spotters page for if you’re feeling even more adventurous!

White-letter hairstreak

White-letter hairstreak Credit: Dave James

How to Identify: The white W-shaped line on the underside of its wings is a great feature to look for. It can sometimes be confused with the black hairstreak which looks similar but has a row of black spots on it’s hindwings.

When to see in Northamptonshire: June to August

Habitat: White Letter Hairstreak can be breeding in hedgerows, woodland rides, and scrub near Elm trees.

Silver-washed fritillary

Silver-washed fritillary Credit: Rebecca Neal

How to identify: Pale orange wings with a series of black spots and lines towards its upperwings. The underside of the rear wings is predominately lime green and pink with a few light silver streaks through them. This silver pattern distinguishes them from other fritillaries.

When to see in Northamptonshire: June to August

Habitat: Broadleaved woodland. They are predominantly found in Oak woodlands and Woodlands with sunny rides and glades.

Marbled white

Marbelled white Credit: Matthew Hazelton 2019

Marbled white Credit: Rebecca Neal

How to identify: A Black and white checked pattern on it wings.

When to see: June to August

Habitat: Unimproved grasslands are usually the best but they may also be found in woodland rides and clearings across the county.

If you are interested in learning more about butterfly species in the county, please have a look on the Wildlife trust for Beds, Cambs and Northant’s website.

If you would like to submit more than one sighting or plan to submit sightings on a regular basis, please create an account. You will then be able to view, edit and download all your submitted records.

Please note that submitted records don't appear on the My Records and All Records pages straight away. We would advise that you check these pages the following day.

Personal details

First name:

Please provide your first name

Last name:

Please provide your surname

Email:

Please provide your email address. This will only be used to contact you if we require further information to verify the record.

Date Seen:

Enter the date in dd/mm/yyyy format or select the date of the record.

Recorder Name:

Enter the recorder's name, if different

Species:

Enter the species name using * as a wildcard.

Photos:

Quantity:

Provide an indication of the abundance

Certainty:

How certain of this identification are you?

Sex:

Please indicate the sex of the organism, if recorded.

Stage:

Please indicate the life stage of the organism, if recorded.

Identified By:

If anyone helped with the identification please enter their name here

Comments:

Please add any additional information you think may be of interest

Sensitivity

Is the record sensitive?

Blur record to:

This is the precision that the record will be shown at for public viewing

Location:

Please provide the location name. This could be the name of a village, town, parish, nature reserve, wood etc. Do not enter a postal address as the information you provide will be visible to others.

Location details:

Further details about where the sighting was within the main location, e.g. a road name, footpath, a compartment of a wood, or area of a nature reserve.

Enter a grid reference:

Or search for a place on the map:

Or simply click on your rough position on the map.