Slideshow showing 10 of Hampshire's Butterfly Species

Hampshire, being a large county located in southern England is fortunate to have a large proportion of the UK's butterfly species resident within its boundaries. The mini-slideshow above shows a selection of 10 of them, each one with its own unique characteristics, whether that be in terms of appearance, behaviour, habitat, life history or distribution.

In fact there are 46 species of butterfly which can be found each year within the county, comprising 45 resident species, and 1 which is considered a regular migrant (Clouded Yellow). The links on the left allow you to navigate to species pages covering all of them, arranged by family or group. In order to assist the observer, there is an image or sequence of images of each one to aid identification, information about the flight period, habitat descriptions, tips for observation and examples of specific Hampshire sites where they can be found. Occasionally notable sites in neighbouring counties or the Isle of Wight are also mentioned.

Of Hampshire's resident species, 15 are also considered a priority for conservation at UK level, being those most under threat because of their rarity and/or rate of decline. These species are listed in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UK BAP). Hampshire species on the UK BAP list are indicated in the introduction at the top of the species page on which they appear.

One of the UK BAP species found in Hampshire is the White-letter Hairstreak. This little butterfly has declined nationally in the last few decades, as a result of the ravages of Dutch Elm disease, which has decimated the UK Elm population on which the butterfly's larvae depend.

Nevertheless, the White-letter Hairstreak, which is shown in the first slide above, is probably more widespread than definitive records indicate, due also to its elusive behaviour and its habit of spending much time high in the Elm canopy. Despite being uncommon, colonies of White-letter Hairstreak can be found in some of our towns and even large cities where there are Elms, as well as more rural locations. Even a single isolated Elm can sometimes support a small colony, and I am confident that in Hampshire alone there are colonies which are, as yet, unrecorded. Whilst binoculars are useful when looking for White-letter Hairstreaks, they do occasionally come down to feed on flowers such as bramble or thistle, hence offering a precious photo opportunity.