Butterflies by Species select Adonis Blue Bath White Berger's Clouded Yellow Black Hairstreak Black-veined White Brimstone Brown Argus Brown Hairstreak Camberwell Beauty Chalkhill Blue Chequered Skipper Clouded Yellow Comma Common Blue Dark Green Fritillary Dingy Skipper Duke of Burgundy Essex Skipper Gatekeeper Geranium Bronze Glanville Fritillary Grayling Green Hairstreak Green-veined White Grizzled Skipper Heath Fritillary High Brown Fritillary Holly Blue Large Blue Large Chequered Skipper Large Copper British Race Large Heath Large Skipper Large Tortoiseshell Large White Long-tailed Blue Lulworth Skipper Map Marbled White Marsh Fritillary Mazarine Blue Meadow Brown Monarch Mountain Ringlet Northern Brown Argus Orange-tip Painted Lady Pale Clouded Yellow Peacock Pearl-bordered Fritillary Purple Emperor Purple Hairstreak Queen of Spain Fritillary Real's Wood White Red Admiral Ringlet Scarce Swallowtail Scotch Argus Short-tailed Blue Silver-spotted Skipper Silver-studded Blue Silver-washed Fritillary Small Blue Small Copper Small Heath Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary Small Skipper Small Tortoiseshell Small White Speckled Wood Swallowtail British Race Swallowtail European Race Wall Brown White Admiral White-letter Hairstreak Wood White Butterflies by Family select Hesperiidae Lycaenidae Nymphalidae Papilionidae Pieridae Other Wildlife Other Wildlife Amphibians Birds Dragonflies Mammals Moths Orchids Reptiles Wild Flowers HOMEBUTTERFLIESFORUMPHOTO LIBRARYDOWNLOADSBLOGGSHOPLINKSABOUTCONTACT Guide to Protected Species Many of our butterflies in Britain are suffering due to the impact of man on the natural environment. Continued 'development' has made many species extremely vulnerable. As a result, many species of butterfly and moth are protected by various UK Government and European Union laws. Despite this protection, our own government is guilty of breaking its own laws by allowing planning permission to build roads, houses and other so called 'developments' on designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI's). Butterflies, don't have a voice, so its up to those committed to saving them to ensure that our elected MP's and unelected civil servants ensure that laws are upheld and the protection of our wildlife is paramount in any decision making process.   More Information Visit the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) web site. Browse and search the IUCN Red List of endangered species. Find out about Rearing butterflies for educational purposes. Butterflies offered Full Protection under UK Law In 1981 the UK Wildlife and Countryside Act gave the Heath Fritillary, Large Blue and Swallowtail full protection by law in the UK. By 1998, the Marsh Fritillary and Large Copper were also added to the list. In 1992, due to significant declines across England and Wales, the High Brown Fritillary was also added to the protected species list. It is a criminal offence to disturb in any way or collect these species (as eggs, caterpillars, chrysalis or adults... this includes netting adults to aid identification in the field even if they are released unharmed). Exceptions to this rule are those individuals who have been granted an official licence to handle these species for conservation purposes. It is also illegal to trade in these species, either as live adults or as 'pinned' specimens. Unfortunately, this law does not apply to 'captive bred' livestock. Prohibition of Sale In 1989, the following species were protected by the UK Wildlife and Countryside Act by prohibition of sale only. Adonis Blue, Black Hairstreak, Brown Hairstreak, Chalkhill Blue, Chequered Skipper, Duke of Burgundy, Glanville Fritillary, Large Heath, Large Tortoiseshell, Lulworth Skipper, Marsh Fritillary, Mountain Ringlet, Northern Brown Argus, Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Purple Emperor, Silver-spotted Skipper, Silver-studded Blue, Small Blue, White-letter Hairstreak, Wood White. Anyone found selling these species (eggs, larvae, pupae, adult butterflies or 'pinned' specimens) are breaking the law unless they have a special permit/licence and could face a prison sentence or heavy fines. Unfortunately, this law does not apply to 'captive bred' livestock. The source of such 'captive bred' stock is the subject of much debate. It is impossible to be 100% certain of the origin of species purchased from livestock dealers. Species protected under the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act are reviewed every five years. More Information Further documentation concerning the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act (with ammendments) can be found on the Office of Public Sector Archives web site.   Sold to the highest bidder...         The extinct British Race of the Large Blue apparently collected in Cornwall in 1911.     This 'pinned' specimen of a Large Blue was made available for sale on Ebay in December 2008 and was being sold on the basis that it was an old specimen collected before the UK Wildlife and Countryside Act became law. How sure can you be that this is an old specimen? Would you take a strangers word for it when their primary goal is to make money?   Overview of IUCN Categories The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an organisation set up to help the world find pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and development challenges. By supporting scientific research and field projects all over the world, it brings governments, non-government organizations, United Nations agencies, companies and local communities together to develop and implement policy, laws and best practice to protect wildlife and the natural world. Further information about the IUCN can be found on their web site at: www.iucn.org. You can search the global 'Red List' of endangered and threatened species at: www.iucnredlist.org. Regionally Extinct A species is defined a being Regionally Extinct when there is no doubt that the last individual has died in the region. This must be confirmed by exhaustive surveys of known habitat, throughout its historic range. Species defined as regionally extinct in Britain are: Black-veined White Mazarine Blue Large Tortoiseshell Large Copper British Race Critically Endangered A species is defined as being critically endangered when the best available evidence shows that it meets set criteria (see report for details). By meeting these criteria, the species is considered to be facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. Species defined as critically endangered in Britain are: Large Blue High Brown Fritillary Endangered A species is defined as being endangered when the best available evidence shows that it meets set criteria (see report for details). By meeting these criteria, the species is considered to be facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild. Species defined as endangered in Britain are: Black Hairstreak Chequered Skipper Duke of Burgundy Glanville Fritillary Heath Fritillary Pearl-bordered Fritillary White-letter Hairstreak Wood White Vulnerable A species is defined as vulnerable when the best available evidence shows that it meets set criteria (see report for details). The species is therefore considered to be facing a high risk of extinction in the wild. Species defined as vulnerable in Britain are: Apollo Brown Hairstreak Dingy Skipper Grayling Green Underside Blue Grizzled Skipper Large Heath Marsh Fritillary Northern Brown Argus Silver-studded Blue White Admiral Near Threatened A species is defined as being near threatened when it has been evaluated against the criteria but does not qualify for critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable at the present time but is close to qualifying for or is likely to qualify for a threatened category in the near future. Species defined as near threatened in Britain are: Adonis Blue Chalkhill Blue Lulworth Skipper Mountain Ringlet Purple Emperor Silver-spotted Skipper Small Blue Small Heath Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary Swallowtail British Race Wall Brown Least Concern A species is defined as being of least concern when it has been evaluated against the criteria and does not qualify for any of the above categories. Widespread and abundant species are included in this category. They are not listed here. Not Listed All non-resident or previously extinct species. They are not listed here. New Red List 2007   Published in 2007, the New Red List of British Butterflies Fox, R., Warren, M & Brereton, T. (2007) New Red List of British Butterflies. Butterfly Conservation, Wareham. available as a pdf download from the Butterfly Conservation web site.   Red Data Book 1999   Published in 1999, the Red Data Book was the first comprehensive review of the 576 known resident butterfly species across Europe. The report shows that 71 species across Europe are threatened due to changes in land-use. 43 other species are classed as near threatened. The following threatened British species have been given the following classification. The Large Blue was classified as being endangered. The Lulworth Skipper, Marsh Fritillary and Large Heath were classified as being vulnerable. The Duke of Burgundy and Scotch Argus were classified as being near threatened. Van Swaay, C.A.M. & Warren, M.S. (1999) Red Data book of European butterflies (Rhopalocera). Nature and Environment, No. 99, Council of Europe Publishing, Strasbourg. For more information and to download the report, visit the Butterfly Conservation web site.   Main Content More Content Further Information Species List - Species List (text only) Photo Image Library Amphibians - Reptiles Aberrant Forms - Known Aberrants List by Species Free documents and guides to download Dragonflies and Damselflies   Distribution Maps & Flight Times   Gardening for Butterflies   Moths   Lifecycle Charts - Illustrated Lifecycle Guide to Rearing British Butterflies Wild Flowers - Orchids Protected Species & UK Law - Butterfly Collectors Technical Terms Recommended Web Links Butterflies in Winter List of References - Book Reviews   All text, photographs, images & other graphic elements used on this web site are copyright Steven Cheshire 2000 - unless otherwise stated. current visitors 991 British Butterflies is Carbon Neutral