List of butterflies of Great Britain


This is a list of butterflies of Great Britain, including extinct, naturalised species and those of dubious origin. The list comprises butterfly species listed in The Moths and Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland by Emmet et al. and Britain's Butterflies by Tomlinson and Still.
A study by NERC in 2004 found there has been a species decline of 71% of butterfly species between 1983 and 2003. Species listed in the 2007 UK Biodiversity Action Plan are indicated by a double-dagger symbol —two species so listed for research purposes only are also indicated with an asterisk. Range expansions according to the 2010 Atlas of Butterflies in Britain and Ireland.
Butterfly Conservation lists 29 of Great Britain's 58 breeding butterfly species as "High UK treat priority", with 9 of those with conservation priority status "Action urgent across UK range".

[Hesperiidae] – skippers

Subfamily Heteropterinae
Subfamily Hesperiinae
Subfamily Pyrginae
Subfamily Papilioninae
Subfamily Dismorphiinae
Subfamily Coliadinae
Subfamily Pierinae
Subfamily Theclinae
Subfamily Lycaena
Subfamily Polyommatinae
Subfamily Heliconiinae
Subfamily Limenitidinae
Subfamily Apaturinae
Subfamily Nymphalinae
Subfamily Satyrinae
Extinct
Vagrants
Exotics
Species included in the Great Britain Lepidoptera numbering system, but believed never to have occurred naturally in a wild state