Butterflies

Butterflies are the most obvious and popular of our insects. As with many birds, numerous species suffered huge population declines during the twentieth century as a result of changes in agriculture, particularly loss of grasslands, and the demise of traditional woodland management.

However, we are relatively fortunate – 34 butterflies are seen regularly in Lancashire and North Merseyside. Two areas are especially important: the dune coasts of Merseyside and the Fylde, and the wooded grasslands on the Morecambe Bay limestone around Silverdale. The latter site is amongst the most significant areas for butterflies in the country. Key species may be found throughout these areas but two sites are particularly important: the National and Local Nature Reserves at Ainsdale on the Sefton Coast, and Gait Barrows NNR in the north.

List of Butterflies found in Lancashire and North Merseyside as of 2018

Species	Population Status in Lancashire	Distribution
Dingy Skipper	Stable	Silverdale area only
Grizzled Skipper		Sporadic records (introductions)
Small Skipper	Increase	Widespread
Large Skipper	Stable	Widespread
Wood White		Sporadic records (introductions)
Orange-tip	Decline	Widespread
Large White	Probable decline	Widespread
Small White	Probable decline	Widespread
Green-veined White	Stable	Widespread
Clouded Yellow		Mainly coastal migrant
Pale Clouded Yellow		Vagrant
Brimstone	Increase	Widespread
Monarch		Vagrant
Wall	Steep decline	Widespread
Speckled Wood	Increase	Widespread
Large Heath	Uncertain	North Bowland and Norn-west lowland mosses
Small Heath	Probable decline	Uplands and coastal areas
Scotch Argus		Sporadic records in north
Ringlet	Increase	Widespread
Meadow Brown	Stable	Widespread
Gatekeeper	Increase	Widespread away from uplands
Grayling	Decline	Coastal
Pearl-bordered Fritillary	Steep decline	Silverdale area
Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary	Decline	Silverdale and north
Silver-washed Fritillary		Sporadic records mainly from Silverdale area
Dark Green Fritillary	Increase	Coastal and high moorland
High Brown Fritillary	Steep decline	Silverdale area
Red Admiral	Increase	Widespread
Painted Lady	Variable	Widespread
Peacock	Increase	Widespread
Small Tortoiseshell	Uncertain	Widespread
Camberwell Beauty		Vagrant
Comma	Increase	Widespread
Duke of Burgundy	Steep decline	Silverdale area
Small Copper	Decline	Widespread
Brown Hairstreak	Recent introduction	Silverdale area
Purple Hairstreak	Increase	Thinly scattered
Green Hairstreak	Decline	Uplands & Silverdale
White-letter Hairstreak	Increase	Mainly south of Ribble, thinly scattered
Long-tailed Blue		Vagrant
Holly Blue	Stable	Widespread way from Upland areas
Brown Argus		Vagrant
Northern Brown Argus	Steep decline	Silverdale area
Common Blue	Stable	Widespread but absent from high fells