Welcome to my early emerging butterflies identification guide. By ‘early’ I mean those species that emerge during March/April, although some can be encountered in warm, sunny spells even earlier. Of our nearly 60 species of butterfly, only 6 overwinter as adults emerging with the first warmth of spring sunshine to delight us with their colour and beauty. All other UK butterflies spend the winter as an egg, larva or pupa, emerging as adults much later in the spring or summer.
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Brimstone. Wingspan 60-70mm. This bright yellow butterfly spends the winter hidden in ivy and other evergreen shrubs. It is one of the first to take wing, often being seen on warm days of March or even February if the conditions are favourable. During 2019, a friend and I saw one at RSPB Strumpshaw Fen on 13th February which turned out to be the first one officially recorded that year. It is widely thought that the colouration of the male, a sulphur yellow, has given rise to the term ‘butterfly’, i.e. a flying insect the colour of butter. It is only the male that sports a bright yellow countenance; females are much paler and can be confused with the whites, especially later in the year when the summer brood hatches and overlaps with emergence of those other species. At all times the Brimstone can be told apart by its very distinctive wing shape, the forewing having a pointed, slightly hooked, tip as opposed to the rounded tip seen on all other similar butterflies. The hindwing has a small spur. Unlike the whites, neither sex has any black on their wings, they instead have two small reddish spots which appear on upper wing and underwing.
Brimstone feeding on Dame’s Violet – note 1) The distinctive wing shape, sharply pointed at the wingtips of both forewing and hindwing. Note also uniform colouration, no black margins and 2) small red dots on both wings. 3) The eye is black.
Courting Brimstones. Here the male is checking out the much paler female. Her posture is not, as would perhaps be understandably inferred, a ‘come on’, rather it indicates she has already mated and is not interested in further naughtiness!
Orange Tip. Wingspan 40-50mm. These butterflies appear in April and are widespread throughout the UK except the far north of Scotland. It is a real harbinger of spring, with the bright orange wingtips of the male providing welcome colour to hedgerow bottoms and damp meadows. It will readily feed on garlic mustard and cuckooflower. It will visit gardens which have the requisite wilder areas and foodplants. Males and females differ in colouration, with only the male having the orange tips. Females closely resemble Small and Green-veined Whites, but their distinctive mottled green underside will identify them.
Orange Tip (male). Unmistakable due to the bright orange tips to the forewing. This feature is also very obvious when the insect is flying.
Orange Tip (female). Very similar to the Small and Green-veined White butterflies dealt with below. A topside view can cause difficulty, but in spring look for 1) quite large, well defined black forewing tips (much paler, reduced or absent in spring generations of the whites. Summer generations of the whites are much darker, but then see underside). 2) there is a single small black spot on the forewing. This is much paler on male small white, whereas female Small White has two spots. Similarly male Green-veined White has a very small and indistinct spot and the female a series of dark lines and spots (see images below). 3) if you don’t get a view of the underside, you may nonetheless be able to see the green marbling showing through which will confirm identification.
Orange Tip (male). On the resting insect the orange wingtips are still obvious and the green mottled underside of the hindwing is very distinctive. It simply couldn’t be anything else.
Orange Tip (female). At rest it will still be possible to note 1) relatively large black forewing tip, and 2) the green mottled underside of the hindwing which is diagnostic.
Orange Tip (courting pair). The differences between the sexes can be seen clearly in this image. As with the image of the Brimstone pair, the female is fending the male off by indicating she has already mated. I have found an interesting blog on this issue which I link at the end of this article.
Small White. Wingspan 40-55mm. One of the familiar ‘cabbage whites’ that is abundant throughout most of the UK. This butterfly can be encountered in March and April, although the peak emergence is later in the spring with a 2nd generation on the wing during summer; these have darker markings than the spring generation. The UK population is bolstered by immigration from mainland Europe. It nectars on a range of flowers, but lays its eggs on brassicas, hence being rather unpopular with gardeners.
Small White. The forewing is largely white with both sexes having 1) a pale grey tip to the forewing. The best way to identify small white is to look at the underside. The hindwing 2) will be unmarked and a shade of lemon yellow (this does vary in intensity).
Small White. A mating pair clearly showing the plain underside which should be compared with the Orange Tip and Green-veined White.
Green-veined White. Wingspan 40-50mm. A very common and widespread species, on the wing from mid-April and throughout most of the summer. It can easily be mistaken for a Small White or female Orange Tip, but scrutiny of the underside will leave you in no doubt as to its identity. Spring insects are generally smaller and paler than subsequent summer broods.
Green-veined White (male). look for 1) very plain, white wings, 2) hint of a small black dot on forewing, and 3) broken grey tip to forewing. The female is much more strongly marked on the upper surfaces and shows smoky grey lines along the veins with much more distinct spots on the forewing
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Green-veined White. The underside of this species is very distinctive. Here you can see 1) the veins outlined with black scales against the light yellow background colour which results in distinct dark green lines. 2) the indistinct tip to the upper side forewing can also be seen, (compare particularly with Orange Tip).
Comma. Wingspan 50-65mm. A familiar species that is often encountered early in the year when it will feed on available blossom and catkins of willow. The ragged wing shape should be enough to identify the species and differentiate it from the superficially similar Small Tortoiseshell. Commas love to bask in the sun with their black spotted, deep orange wings fully open. At rest the distinctive white ‘comma’ mark is quite noticeable, and of course gives the species its English name. Commas overwinter in piles of leaves, sheds, outbuildings or suitable cavities in trees, emerging on warm spring days. Later in the year they can reliably be found sipping the nectar of flowering ivy to which they flock in numbers. Late summer insects, destined to overwinter, have a different coloured underside from those that will see the summer out then die. The long-lived specimens have a uniform dark brown colouration, whereas the shorter-lived individuals are lighter and more variably marked. I’m guessing this is an adaptation allowing better camouflage in those dark recesses chosen for winter slumber.
An early emergent Comma feeding on flowering currant in my garden. These plants together with blackthorn and willow catkins provide an important source of early nectar. Note the very jagged wing margins and liberal array of dark brown blotches and spots.
Here you can see 1) the bright white ‘comma’ mark on the underside of the trailing wing which gives the species its English name. 2) The very jagged wing edges are also obvious.
Commas, together with other autumnal butterflies, love feasting on the nectar of ivy. One good reason to ensure you leave some in your garden.
Small Tortoiseshell. Wingspan 42-52mm. One of our most familiar and widespread butterflies. When I was young, living as we all did in houses untroubled by central heating, we always had a few of these overwintering in cool bedroom cupboards, or in the corner of the alcove by the back door. Spring sunshine woke them up, when we would have to chase them around the window panes before catching them and releasing them outdoors. Nowadays, in our modern houses, there is seldom room for these handsome insects. Even if they do choose to attempt overwintering in our homes, they will be rudely, and probably fatally, awoken mid-winter once the thermostat bites hard. We called them ‘The King George’, a term I haven’t heard used for a long time. Small Tortoiseshells are a slightly richer shade of orange than the Comma, and have a much more uniform wing shape. The leading edge of the upper forewing is marked with alternate blotches of black and yellow. The margins of both upper wings are jewelled with blue spots. The underwing is basically a mottled array of dark colours, although the underside of the forewing has a much more extensive lighter patch than the Comma.
One of our most widespread and familiar butterflies, Small Tortoiseshells can be recognised by 1) their orange colouration, 2) blotches of black and yellow along the leading edge of the forewing and 3) a margin of bright blue spots on the trailing edge of both sets of wings.
Peacock. Wingspan 65-75mm. Unmistakable and aptly named, in honour of the yellow bordered, bright blue ‘eyes’ that bedeck the upper side of all four wings. The Peacock is a rich crimson brown in colour, variously blotched with black and with a row of white dots on the forewing. It is much larger than the previous two species and can frequently be disturbed from basking spots on dry open ground. The underside is very dark brown, almost blackish, which again aids concealment in dark wintering sites.
In spring Peacocks will feed on willow catkins or bluebell nectar. Easily recognised by 1) its velvety crimson colouration and 2) its bright blue eye spots. These are used as a defence mechanism whereby when threatened, the butterfly will suddenly open its wings revealing the eyes which will startle potential predators. 3) there is also a jagged brown edging to the trailing edge of the wings which outlines the beautiful markings very well.
As you can see the precise size and intensity of the eye markings does vary but is always striking and unique amongst UK butterflies.
Red Admiral. Wingspan 65-80mm. This species is quite distinctive, and has recently taken to overwintering in the UK as that season becomes milder. Specimens are usually reported very early in March or even February (I noticed one on 8th February in 2022), from widespread localities, indicating that Red Admirals are now becoming an established year-round resident. The red bands, set boldly against a jet-black background on the species forewing, are diagnostic. The red markings flow round to the underwing, which again differentiates it from all the other species we’ve considered here.
The Red Admiral is unmistakable. 1) The bright red lines across the forewing and on the trailing edge of the hindwing set against a jet black background are diagnostic. 2) there are a series of white blotches and dots towards the tip of the forewing, and 3) a series of small blue dots on the trailing edge of the hindwing.
In about 30% of specimens (mainly female I believe) there is a small white spot in the red band – something to look out for as a bit of fun.
The underwing of the Red Admiral is quite similar to the upper side. The red markings are still quite noticeable.
Holly Blue. Wingspan 25-35mm. this is the first of the blue butterflies to emerge, generally appearing during late March/April through May, with a 2nd brood on the wing during summer. It will be encountered flitting along hedgerows and particularly any holly shrubs that are present. It is a widespread and common species, quite at home in gardens and parks as well as the wider countryside. Holly Blues will lay their eggs on holly during spring, but will switch to ivy during the summer. It is not an easy species to find at rest because it often inhabits the tops of bushes and shrubs, and even if discovered at an accessible height it is not easy to get a good view of the upper wing detail. Luckily that doesn’t really matter because the underside pattern is quite distinctive, as shown below.
Holly Blue (male). If you do get a good look at the upper side, you will see 1) plain silvery blue wings with 2) very narrow black border on outer edge. Nearly all other blues have much more noticeable borders of black, white with spots/smudges of other colour.
Holly Blue (female). Easily told by the broad black band on the outer edge of the forewing which is unique amongst British butterflies.
The clincher to identification is the underside. The Holly Blue has a pale blue/grey underside marked with a series of small black dots. The only other British butterfly with this kind of underwing pattern is the Small Blue, a very local and declining species that inhabits open grassland.
Hope you found this guide to identification of early emergent butterflies in the UK helpful. Any feedback will be most welcome. Other butterfly identification guides can be found here.
For more information about the mating postures of female butterflies have a look at this article by Ray Cannon a proper entomologist.
Test your knowledge now and take the Quiz. No prizes other than being able to bask in the warmth of being able to identify some beautiful early spring insects.
#1. What Butterfly Is This? ? Look for the bold black blotches along the leading edge to the forewing.
Sorry, that’s not right. This butterfly is a Small Tortoiseshell, otherwise known as a King George. Look for the bold black blotches and blue beading along the trailing edge.
#2. What Butterfly is This? ? Look for the jagged edges to the wings and the small mark on the underside from which this species gets its name
Sorry that’s wrong. This butterfly is a Comma. Look at those jagged wings!
#3. What About This One? ? This butterfly is named after their colouration, they are thought to have given rise to the word 'butterfly' in that they are a butter coloured fly.
Sorry, that’s not right. This is a Brimstone, it is an overall pale yellow with small brownish-red spots. There is also a noticeable angular shape to the wing.
#4. What's This One? ? This species has only recently started to overwinter in the UK. They are a migrant butterfly reaching us in numbers during summer and early autumn.
Sorry, that’s not right. This is a Red Admiral. Look for bright red markings on a velvet black wing.
#5. What Species of Butterfly is This? ? Named after the colourful 'eyes' on the wings
Sorry that’s not right. This is a Peacock, so named because of the colourful ‘eyes’ on the wings which are used to ward off predators.
#6. What is This Butterfly? ? Don't forget - the underside pattern is key with the early white butterflies
Sorry that’s wrong, this is an Orange Tip. The green mottling on the underside gives it away.
#7. What Butterfly is This? ? Named after the web of dark markings on the underwing
Sorry, I’m afraid that’s not right. This is a Green-veined White, the black scales either side of the wing veins against the yellowish background colour show as green.
#8. What Species is This? ? The plain yellowish underwings identify this one. One of the 'Cabbage Whites'
Sorry that’s not right. This is a Small White. It has a plain white/yellow underwing with one or two small spots.
#9. And in Conclusion, What's This?
Sorry, that’s not right. This is a Holly Blue, the earliest of the blues to emerge and one that favours shrubby areas, hedgerows and open woodland with plenty of holly. Look for the pale grey/blue underside with small black spots.
constructive feedback
suggest you add the word “blue” in appropriate place
Holly Blue (female). Easily told by the broad black band on the outer edge of the forewing which is unique amongst British butterflies.
Well done for all your work
Thanks Pete, it takes a long time to do these things – much longer than I anticipated! Thanks for your feedback.