How many UK butterfly species can you name? In a recent poll, most people could manage only two or three.
Red Admirals, Peacocks and Cabbage Whites were the most commonly mentioned, with Commas and Small Tortoiseshells occasionally getting in on the act.
Actually, the term ‘Cabbage White’ includes two different species – Large and Small – which rather highlights just how much we have to learn. And all this represents only a tiny proportion of the 59 species on our shores.
Why should we care? Well, butterflies are a vital indicator of the health of our ecosystems and – alarmingly – we are seeing far fewer of them than we used to.
In fact, many species are declining so rapidly that they are in danger of disappearing from certain areas altogether.
The good news is that Surrey is home to 42 of the 59 UK species and rich in wonderful places to see them. So why not head out to one of the county’s butterfly hotspots this summer?
Simply pack a bag, grab a friend and don’t forget to take a good guidebook. We have the very one you need! Let's Look for Butterflies: A Spot & Learn, Stick & Play Book by Caz Buckingham and Andrea Pinnington.
Butterfly spotting tips
Go out in good weather
Butterflies do not produce heat, so they need warmth from the sun for their muscles to work.
Different butterfly species are on the wing at different times of year
Those with shorter life cycles may have several generations in a single year, with each one being known as a brood.
Butterflies are grouped into families according to the characteristics they share
Knowing about these will help you to identify them out in the field and to understand more about their behaviour.
Key Surrey habitats
The best place to start looking is on your doorstep in parks and gardens. Common species include Small Tortoiseshells, Red Admirals, Large and Small Whites and Peacocks.
It is easy to attract butterflies like these to your garden or balcony – just choose nectar-rich flowers and plant them in warm, sheltered spots. Hedges and verges are good linking habitats that provide a variety of food for adult butterflies and caterpillars. Look out for Orange-tips in the spring and for Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns over the summer.
Lowland heathlands
Heaths are open, warm, dry, sandy places with low-growing shrubs such as heather, bracken and gorse. Surrey hotspots include Puttenham Common, Thursley Common, Chobham Common, Dawney Hill and the Devil’s Punch Bowl. Look out, especially for Silver-studded Blues, Small Coppers, Small Heaths, Green Hairstreaks and Graylings.
Woodlands
Surrey is England’s most wooded county, with broadleaved woodlands, clearings, rides and glades, and conifer plantations. Good butterfly areas include Ashtead Common, Banstead Woods, Chiddingfold Forest, Alice Holt, and Sheepleas. Look for Purple Emperors, White Admirals, Silver-washed Fritillaries, Speckled Woods, Purple Hairstreaks, and Wood Whites.
Chalk grasslands
This rare habitat rich in plants and insects, where thin soil covers chalk rocks, can be found along the North Downs. Head to Denbies Hillside, Box Hill, Pewley Down, Newlands Corner and Reigate Hill to see Chalkhill Blues, Small Blues, Silver-spotted Skippers, Grizzled Skippers, Dingy Skippers, Dark Green Fritillaries, Small Skippers and Marbled Whites.
Damp grasslands and meadows
Surrey’s two main river catchments are those of the Wey and the Mole. By following footpaths through damp meadows in these areas you may be rewarded with sightings of Green-veined Whites, Orangetips, Ringlets, Common Blues and Small Skippers.
Get involved in butterfly conservation
What can we do to prevent butterfly numbers from falling further than they have in recent decades?
A surprising amount, as it happens. Simply by recording the butterflies around you and sharing your findings with scientists, you can help the latter to develop ways of saving our most threatened species.
The best way to start is by taking part in Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count, held annually in July and August, which involves recording the butterflies in your garden for 15 minutes.
If you want to do more, there are other national schemes for regular monitoring of a local area.
