Papilionidae- Swallowtails
Hesperiidae- The Skippers
These charismatic insects, whose lively flight, flitting from grass stem to grass stem, in order to chase away potential competition, has given this family of butterflies their name of 'Skippers'.
Small and agile, this speedy group of butterflies are unlike any other family found in Britain, often mistaken as moths during flight.
Most of the caterpillars in this family, feed mainly on grasses.
Currently with just one sub-species of Papilionidae, the UK os home to The Swallowtail (Papilio Gorganus. brittanicus). Surviving in Britain now as fragile populations in largely man-made habitat; the Norfolk Broads, it feeds on Milk Parsley alone but was once much more widespread.
Some believe its European cousin (Papilio Gorganus. Gorganus) will oneday colonise our shores and be a common garden visitor.
The British Pieridae family consists of two major sub-families; Pierinae (The Whites) and Coliadinae (The Yellows) but also a small, third sub-family; Dismorphiinae of which the Wood White is the only UK member.
The caterpillars in this family feed predominantly on plants in the Cabbage and Pea family, except the Brimstone which feeds only on Buckthorn.
Nymphalidae- Aristocrats, Browns & Fritillaries
Pieridae- The Whites & Yellows
Butterfly Species (Resident)
The United Kingdom has a total of 59 resident species of Butterfly, additionally there are a number of either regular or irregular migrants; this website also describes these and othes that are now extinct in Britain.
There are six families of Butterflies in the UK, including several sub-families.
There is only one member of the Metalmark family in Britain; the 'Duke of Burgundy Fritillary'.
Despite sharing the orange colour of true Fritillary butterflies, this insect is completely separate, which is why the 'Fritillary' part of the name is commonly dropped to leave 'Duke of Burgundy'.
Riodinidae- Metalmarks
The UK has 5 Hairstreaks; including the Brown Hairstreak (featured above), a number of Blues and just one Copper (The Small); the Large Copper becoming extinct during the 19th Century.
Generally small and quite quick butterflies, the Blues, Hairstreaks and the Small Copper have bright, iridescent uppersides.
Lycaenidae- Blues, Coppers & Hairstreaks
The name 'Aristocrats' was in the early days of entomology, given to the British family of butterflies with the most colour and strong flight.
Subsequently, names like White Admiral, Painted Lady and Purple Emperor followed. These, together with the Fritillaries and Browns make up the largest of British butterfly families (Nymphalidae or 'brush-footed' butterflies)