Butterflies

Butterflies

Pearl-bordered Fritillary butterfly (Boloria euphrosyne)

A rare spring treasure in Cornwall, the Pearl-bordered Fritillary depends on the Common Dog Violet, with Heath Dog Violet in some sites. Its survival hinges on perfectly timed seasons, diverse habitats, and careful management to keep butterfly and violet in step.

By Editorial Team • 5 min read

Butterflies

The Small Heath butterfly (Coenonympha pamphilus)

In Cornwall’s coastal meadows, the Small Heath butterfly and Sheep’s Fescue grass form a quiet summer alliance. Fine-leaved tufts feed and shelter larvae, while short, sunlit turf sustains adults through their broods — a partnership reliant on traditional grazing and open sward.

By Editorial Team • 6 min read

Butterflies

Silver-spotted Skipper butterfly (Hesperia comma)

In Cornwall’s rare chalk grasslands, the fleeting summer bloom of Wild Thyme aligns perfectly with the brief flight of the Silver-spotted Skipper, creating a high-summer partnership shaped by heat, open turf, and centuries of careful grazing.

By Editorial Team • 4 min read

Butterflies

Dingy Skipper butterfly (Erynnis tages)

On Cornwall’s south-facing slopes in May, the Dingy Skipper and Horseshoe Vetch peak together — a brief, golden season where warmth, open turf, and wildflowers sustain one of the county’s most subtle and specialised coastal partnerships.

By Editorial Team • 5 min read

Butterflies

The Chequered Skipper butterfly (Carterocephalus palaemon)

Once lost to Cornwall, the Chequered Skipper could yet return to our damp woodland glades, where Bugle blooms in May and purple moor-grass sways in the sun. Conservation work today is shaping the landscapes this woodland jewel once called home.

By Editorial Team • 4 min read

Butterflies

The Silver-washed Fritillary butterfly (Argynnis paphia)

A blaze of orange, black, and silver, the Silver-washed Fritillary glides through Cornwall's summer woods and gardens. Look for this spectacular butterfly feeding on Buddleia and wildflowers from late June to early September, where ancient woodland and nectar-rich borders meet.

By Editorial Team • 5 min read

Butterflies

The Marsh Fritillary butterfly (Euphydryas aurinia)

In early June, Marsh Fritillaries glide over Cornwall’s damp meadows. Their life depends on Devil’s-bit Scabious, choosing its lush leaves for eggs. Lightly grazed, flower-rich grasslands keep this delicate cycle alive, ensuring the butterfly returns each summer.

By Editorial Team • 5 min read

Butterflies

Red Admiral butterfly (Vanessa atalanta)

In Cornwall’s early autumn, Red Admirals crowd onto flowering Ivy, replenishing vital energy reserves before migration or winter sheltering. This well‑timed pairing between plant and butterfly is both a seasonal lifeline and a defining feature of the county’s September and October hedgerows.

By Editorial Team • 5 min read

Butterflies

The Brown Argus butterfly (Aricia agestis)

On sunny Cornish slopes in May, the Brown Argus flits over golden Rockrose. This small butterfly depends entirely on the plant for nectar and caterpillar food, thriving only where short-turf grasslands and coastal dunes remain open and flower-rich.

By Editorial Team • 5 min read

Butterflies

Gatekeeper butterfly (Pyronia tithonus)

In August, Cornwall’s bramble-clad hedgerows host the Gatekeeper butterfly—a warm-orange sentinel feeding, courting, and egg-laying among sunny hedge gaps, a sign of hedges rich in life and summer’s lingering glow.

By Editorial Team • 4 min read

Butterflies

Purple Hairstreak butterfly (Favonius quercus)

In Cornwall’s mid-summer woods, the Purple Hairstreak flits high among sunlit oaks, its violet wings flashing in the canopy. Entirely tied to the oak’s seasonal rhythm, it is a fleeting jewel of July, best glimpsed in still warmth from morning to late afternoon.

By Editorial Team • 5 min read

Butterflies

Small Copper butterfly (Lycaena phlaeas)

In Cornwall’s late summer, the Small Copper butterfly and bell heather meet in perfect seasonal harmony. On purple heathland banks, these copper-winged jewels feed, bask, and breed, sustained by the nectar of Erica cinerea — a fleeting yet vital rhythm in the county’s wild tapestry.

By Editorial Team • 4 min read