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The current butterfly list for North-east England includes thirty five species. These range from very widespread and common species such as Meadow Brown, and Large White to species with extremely restricted distributions such as the Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary.

Of course the distribution of butterflies is subject to constant change and historical records (reviewed by Dunn and Parrack 1986) indicate that some species that are no longer present were once widespread in the region. Examples of such species include the Pearl Bordered fritillary which was well known in the region in the nineteenth century but now no longer occurs. Other species' fortunes have ebbed and flowed over the decades. The Comma, for example, was common in the nineteenth century but was then extinct in the region for much of the twentieth century before returning in the 1990s. Speckled Wood has become established in the coastal denes of County Durham during the present decade and Brown Argus and Gatekeeper may be examples of species that are poised to expand into the region.

Whilst the reasons behind these changes may not be known in detail a number of factors are clearly important in determining the fortunes of the region's butterflies. Habitat change has undoubtedly been the most important of these in the past with land drainage and 'improvement', afforestation, lack of management and redevelopment of brownfield sites all having significant consequences for butterflies and other invertebrates. Climate change may now be a new and important influence on butterfly distribution and may lie behind the northward spread of species such as Speckled Wood and Small Skipper, amongst others. The northerly position of the region, at the edge of the range of a number of species, may provide a particularly interesting opportunity to observe the impacts of climate change on butterfly distributions.

Monitoring the changing distributions of the region's butterflies and understanding the underlying causes are essential tasks if we are to protect and ensure the survival of our butterfly fauna. All records contribute to this and the North East Branch welcomes records of any species observed within the region. A recording form and instructions for submiting records are provided in the downloads section of the website.

The table below lists the butterflies that can be seen in North East England with brief comments on their status. Clicking on the english name for each species takes you to the relevant species account on the national Butterfly Conservation web-site.

Species Name	Scientific Name	UK BAP* Status	NE England Status
Small Skipper	Thymelicus sylvestris	Not listed	Resident, small population first established in Co Durham in 1980s has now spread throughout the county and well into Northumberland
Large Skipper	Ochlodes venata	Not listed	Common resident
Dingy Skipper	Erynnis tages	Priority Species	Uncommon resident, occurring particularly on former industrial sites. Northumberland BAP species, Tees Valley BAP species.
Clouded Yellow	Colias croceus	Not listed	Rare migrant
Brimstone	Gonepteryx rhamni	Not listed	Rare migrant
Large White	Pieris brassicae	Not listed	Very common resident
Small White	Pieris rapae	Not listed	Very common resident
Green-veined White	Pieris napi	Not listed	Very common resident
Orange Tip	Anthocharis cardamines	Not listed	Very common resident
Green Hairstreak	Callophrys rubi	Not listed	Local resident, moorland sites with bilberry
Purple Hairstreak	Quercusia quercus	Not listed	Uncommon resident
White-letter Hairstreak	Strymonidia w-album	Priority Species	Scarce resident
Small Copper	Lycaena phlaeas	Not listed	Resident
Brown Argus	Plebeius agestis	Not listed	Rare, first recorded in the south of the region in 2006
Northern Brown Argus	Aricia artaxerxes	Priority Species	Resident, strongholds on Durham coast and inland worked out magnesian limestone quarry sites
Common Blue	Polyommatus icarus	Not listed	Common resident
Holly Blue	Celastrina argiolus	Not listed	Uncommon resident
Red Admiral	Vanessa atalanta	Not listed	Common resident and migrant
Painted Lady	Vanessa cardui	Not listed	Common migrant
Small Tortoiseshell	Aglais urticae	Not listed	Common resident and migrant
Camberwell Beauty (no account available on national web-site)	Nymphalis antiopa	Not listed	Very rare migrant occuring sporadically and very much less frequently than other migrants
Peacock	Inachis io	Not listed	Common resident
Comma	Polygonia c-album	Not listed	Resident
Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary	Boloria selene	Priority Species	Scarce and declining resident. Durham BAP species
High Brown Fritillary	Argynnis adippe	Priority Species	A single record in 2006 in Hamsterley Forest. Origin of this insect uncertain and possibly a deliberate release
Dark Green Fritillary	Argynnis aglaja	Not listed	Resident and locally abundant. Stronghold on north Northumberland dunes, especially Holy Island
Speckled Wood	Pararge aegeria	Not listed	Recently established resident. From initial sightings, mainly in Durham's coastal denes, this species has spread over much of both counties mostly in the years since 2005.
Wall Brown	Lasiommata megera	Priority species (for research only)	Resident
Marbled White	Melanargia galathea	Not listed	Small colony introduced at Wingate quarry in 2000. Occasional records away from this site.
Grayling	Hipparchia semele	Priority species	Resident, stronghold is on the coastal dunes of Northumberland, especially on Holy Island. Tees Valley BAP species.
Gatekeeper	Pyronia tithonus	Not listed	Recorded very infrequently in the region
Meadow Brown	Maniola jurtina	Not listed	Very Common resident
Ringlet	Aphantopus hyperantus	Not listed	Common resident
Small Heath	Coenonympha pamphilus	Priority species (for research only)	Widespread but Declining resident
Large Heath	Coenonympha tullia	Priority species	Scarce Resident, principally in the Border Mires of Northumberland
Species Name	Scientific Name	UK BAP Status	NE England Status

BAP = Biodiversity Action Plan.

Click here for more information about the National BAP

Click here for information about the Northumberland BAP

Click here for information about the Durham BAP

Click here for information about the Tees Valley BAP

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