Five butterflies to spot in July

admin
, 17 July 2023
Five butterflies to spot in July
Marbled White © Bob Eade

Here a five butterflies to spot in July. We'd love to see your butterfly photos, please share them on our Facebook Nature Table group.

White Admiral

The White Admiral is black above and gingery-brown below, with white patches on the wings. They are found in woodlands, clearings and rides. The white admiral has a distinctive flight pattern of short periods of wing beats followed by long glides.

White admiral BobEade

Gatekeeper

The Gatekeeper is brown above, with large orange patches in the middle of the wings. It can be found in grassland, hedgerows and woodland edges and can be seen feeding on bramble and ragwort. It avoids areas of short, open grassland.

Marbled White

The Marbled White is a distinctive medium-sized white butterfly, with black-chequered markings. They can be found on the chalk grassland of the South Downs, but are also seen woodland rides and clearings, and road verges. The adults can often be found feeding on purple flowers such as field scabious, common knapweed and wild marjoram.

Small Skipper

The Small Skipper is russet-brown above, with a dark border and pale fringe to the wing edges. They can be found on rough grassland, woodland edges, along roadside verges and anywhere else with plenty of grasses. Small skippers appear rather moth-like and are often seen feeding on knapweeds and thistles and hovering close to the ground.

Small skipper BobEade

Painted Lady

The Painted Lady is a fairly large orange, black and white butterfly. They are migrants to the UK during the summer flying in from Africa and southern Europe. Sometimes, they can be seen migrating here in enormous numbers. A frequent visitor to gardens, it will feed on buddleia and other flowers. 

Find out how you can help butterflies in your garden

The Big Butterfly Count runs from from 14 July to 06 August 2023. Find out more by visiting www.bigbutterflycount.org 

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Comments

  • alice robinson:

    Yesterday on downs above Falmer in Sussex I saw so may Meadow Brown butterflies I could not count them. saw a few blue butterflies too, including small blues, others I believe were marbled white and maybe a couple of Gate Keepers these were hard to identify as fluttering about to much.

    24 Jun 2023 21:31:00

  • Heather Liardet:

    I was wondering whether butterfly numbers have increased this year as i have seen many more in my garden and also during my walks in the South Downs. Has it been a particularly good year for them? Bee numbers still seem worryingly low, but i have taken some solace in the apparent increase in butterflies.

    20 Jul 2023 11:07:00

  • Mark Pritchard:

    I saw a silver washed fritillary in Chiswick house gardens last week. Unusual to see one in west London.

    20 Jul 2023 11:21:00

  • Victor Mower:

    This year our garden flowers and budlea in particular seem to be very popular as the increase in butterflies and bees is noticeable.

    20 Jul 2023 11:29:00

  • Katherine Stokes:

    Interested in the butterfly count in Crawley Town West Sussex

    20 Jul 2023 12:08:00

  • Elizabeth Thomas:

    Lewes Cemetery (behind County Hall) is full of skippers and marbled white butterflies. We were doing a wildflower survey 10 days ago and skippers were everywhere and several marbled whites. The gate keepers have just reappeared in my garden.

    20 Jul 2023 13:46:00

  • Richard Allan:

    In Spring I was worried that butterfly numbers appeared to be low but then as progressed towards Summer there were so many Large, Small and Essex Skippers, and Marbled Whites in and around the South Downs near Shoreham-by-Sea. Then recently we had a large influx of Red Admirals with some Painted Ladies, Gatekeepers and Peacocks have emerged in numbers and now Chalkhill Blues are starting to appear. I feel it’s a good year for butterflies compared to recent years. Perhaps that heatwave last year benefitted some species?

    20 Jul 2023 14:34:00

  • Mark Pritchard:

    I saw a silver washed fritillary in Chiswick house gardens last week. Unusual to see one in west London.

    20 Jul 2023 15:09:00

  • I. MacFadyen:

    I was in the Chiddingfold Forest this morning, on the Surrey/W. Sussex border. Despite the unsettled weather of late, butterflies were in good number, better than I’ve seen for a number of years I think. Lots of Peacock, Silver Washed Fritillaries, Brimstone, Gatekeepers & Meadow Browns along the woodland rides. A fair number of White Admiral, also a few Holly Blue, Large & Small Skipper, & an unidentified Lycenid, very dark in colour, likely a female Common Blue, it just wouldn’t settle. The White Admiral & S W. Fritillaries were looking very worn! Anyway, positive news.

    20 Jul 2023 15:38:00

  • Lisa ball:

    What plants other than budula can I plant I have lots of butterfly’s but would love to attract more

    20 Jul 2023 16:25:00

  • Sussex Wildlife Trust:

    Hi Lisa. This should help https://sussexwildlifetrust.or...

  • Susan jackson:

    I love that I have loads of gate keeper on my hedge its like a cloud

    20 Jul 2023 17:13:00

  • Sallyanne Redden:

    Today near Mile oak farm I saw so many butterflies and it was quite magical! I saw Commas, skippers, Brown Argus(possibly common blue, im no expert!), Small Coppers, Gatekeeper, Small Blue, Red Admiral, Meadow Brown, Painted Lady, Small White, Marbled White and a six-spot Burnet moth. They just love the chalky grassland. A morning well spent!

    20 Jul 2023 18:11:00

  • philip baker:

    I saw a Marbled White in Brede Woods on Tuesday. Also many Red Admirals sunbathing. Yesterday we had a Peacock butterfly in our garden. As someone mentions doesn’t seem to be many bees about, but we did have a giant hornet in the house a week or two ago. I know the predate wasps, but do they also predate bees?

    20 Jul 2023 18:43:00

  • Sussex Wildlife Trust:

    Lovely to hear that you’ve seen a hornet in your garden. European Hornets don’t tend to discriminate when hunting, so long as the insect is big enough. They will go for bees, wasps, grasshoppers, flies, beetles, caterpillars, near enough any source of protein, including carrion. They will also occasionally eat tree sap and rotting fruit as well. Despite their carnivorous nature, they are not a significant threat to bee populations, and are important members of the ecosystem. The decrease in bee numbers is more likely to be down to habitat destruction, pollution, and climate change. Predation is certainly not their biggest threat at this point in time.

  • Teresa:

    Have seen 4 different types of butterflies today. The most in a long time !

    21 Jul 2023 14:04:00

  • Emmy pickin:

    Our family owns a large meadow and it is alive with butterfly’s. I will try and identify them.

    21 Jul 2023 15:25:00

  • Emmy pickin:

    Our family owns a large meadow and it is alive with butterfly’s. I will try and identify them.

    21 Jul 2023 16:03:00

  • Graham Durey:

    I saw a white admiral in Abbott’s Wood on Thursday 20th and silver washed fritillaries. Gatekeepers, small skippers, Essex skippers and marbled whites in good numbers on Eastbourne Downland where i live.

    22 Jul 2023 11:26:00

  • Anthony Oliver:

    Lots of the five seen this week – on the field boundaries immediately before haymaking. With any luck they will have got all they require from the thistle flowers before I cut them to avoid further infestation! Such a pleasure to see so many! – around the new pond too!

    22 Jul 2023 18:53:00

  • Tony Ricards:

    Good numbers of butterflies in our garden. Mainly on the bud Lea and lavender. Lots of ‘various whites , often 4/5 at a time. Also, 3/4 red admiral, 2 skippers and a peacock – all around the same area.

    23 Jul 2023 13:52:00

  • Jack Doherty:

    Seeing good numbers of bees, not sure of species numbers…but butterflies and moths numbers seem lower than normal. Drought appears to dehydrate and wither a lot of flowers and food supply.

    23 Jul 2023 21:15:00

  • Kathy Vanderstreaten:

    Just walking past my Hebe & counted 6 gatekeepers,a large white & a painted lady as well as about a dozen bees

    26 Jul 2023 08:43:00

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