At Fairburn Ings over the years we’ve lost some species and gained some too. Below shows a table of species that have been recorded on the reserve as well as a few species of what to look out for.
| Butterfly Species | Status |
| Dingy Skipper | Uncertain |
| Small Skipper | Resident: usually common |
| Essex Skipper | New addition in 2018 (unknown provenance!) |
| Large Skipper | Resident: frequent |
| Orange Tip | Resident: very common |
| Large White | Scarce resident & common migrant |
| Small White | Resident: uncommon |
| Green-veined White | Resident: very common |
| Clouded Yellow | Migrant |
| Brimstone | Resident: frequent |
| Monarch | Accidental |
| Wall Brown | Resident: probably extinct |
| Speckled Wood | Resident: very common |
| Small Heath | Non resident |
| Ringlet | Resident: extremely common |
| Meadow Brown | Resident: extremely common |
| Gatekeeper | Resident: extremely common |
| Marbled White | Non resident: very scarce |
| Red Admiral | Annual migrant: very common |
| Painted Lady | Migrant: sometimes frequent |
| Peacock | Resident: very common |
| Small Tortoiseshell | Resident: frequent |
| Camberwell Beauty | Migrant: extremely rare |
| Comma | Resident: very common |
| Silver-washed Fritillary | Accidental |
| Small Copper | Resident: frequent |
| Purple Hairstreak | Occasional resident: very scarce |
| White-letter Hairstreak | Non resident: extremely scarce |
| Holly Blue | Resident: frequent |
| Brown Argus | Occasional resident: scarce |
| Common Blue | Resident: very common |
Brown Argus
Aricia agestis
A small dark brown butterfly with orange half-moons around the edge of the wings. Both sexes have a dark spot in the centre of the forewing, the female common blue lacks Females slightly lighter with stronger orange markings and a bit bigger than the males.
Wingspan 28mm
2 Broods May until the end of September
Top – Darren Starkey
Bottom – Keith Boyer
Small Copper
Lycaena phlaeas
The forewings are copper coloured with black markings and a brown boarder; the hindwings are mainly brown with a copper coloured crescent at the base. The Yorkshire lepidopterist Adrian Haworth called it the Common Copper in 1803
Wingspan 28mm
3 even 4 broods late April until November
Top – Keith Boyer
Bottom – Darren Starkey
Common Blue
Polyommatus icarus
The male of this species is blue whereas the females are normally brown with orange markings. The females can also be blue but they keep the orange markings whereas the males don’t. Both have white margins around the wing. Unlike the brown argus the common blues have a cell spot on the underside of the forewing.
Wingspan 35mm
1 brood June until September
Top – Keith Boyer
Bottom – Martin Dove
Orange-Tip
Anthocharis cardamines
Only the males have the orange tip to its forewing; the female is white black wingtips. Both have a distinctive green underside, a unique feature to this species.
Wingspan 45mm
1 brood April until early July, occasional individuals seen August or September
Top – Martin Dove
Bottom – Mark Coates
Painted Lady
Vanessa cardui
Theses butterflies are mainly an orangey brown colour with white spots to the black tips on their forewing., which distinguish them from the Small Tortoiseshell. When newly emerged they have a rose-pink tinge to their wings.
Wingspan 57mm
Several broods through to October/November
Occasional mass migrations
Top – Keith Boyer
Bottom – Mark Coates
Red Admiral
Vanessa atalanta
The majority of this butterfly is black/brown. The forewing is separated with a striking red band and a red crescent, with 2 iridescent blue spots to the bottom of the hindwing. This makes the Red Admiral an easy recognisable butterfly.
Wingspan 64mm
Migrants appear in late May/June lasting through until November.
Top – Keith Boyer
Bottom – Darren Starkey