East Scotland Butterfly Atlas

In 2001, the Millennium Atlas of Butterflies in Britain and Ireland was published, showing the distribution of all our butterflies throughout Britain and Ireland.  The records used were those in the Butterfly Conservation database up to and including 1999. The atlas has been updated each 5 years since then, using records from 2000-2004 and 2005-2009 and showing the changes in distribution over each period. The next update will use records from 2010-2014 and so this is the final year of the current five year update cycle.

The table on this page lists the butterflies that can be considered resident within the East Scotland branch area. Each species is linked to a map showing its distribution at 10km square level.  The dots are colour coded green for 2010 and later, blue for the period 2000-2009 and red where records only exist from before 2000. Blank squares indicate that the species has never been recorded there.  The maps also include a chart showing the weekly occurrence of the species, which can be used as an aid for determining when to search for the butterflies.

The atlas updates show distribution changes, but it is important to know whether the apparent disappearance of a species from a particular square is a genuine loss or merely due to lack of recording effort.  Recorders are encouraged therefore to visit sites within red or blue squares to attempt “re-discovery” of butterfly presence. This is particularly key this year - our last chance during the current five year cycle to get as clear a picture as possible for the next atlas update. Anyone with an interest in specific squares and looking for details of the historic sites in these squares should  .

Hesperiidae - Skippers
Small Skipper	Large Skipper
Pieridae - Whites & Yellows
Large White	Green-veined White
Small White	Orange-tip
Lycaenidae - Coppers, Hairstreaks & Blues
Green Hairstreak	Northern Brown Argus
Purple Hairstreak	Common Blue
Small Copper	Holly Blue
Small Blue
Nymphalidae - Browns and Fritillaries
Red Admiral	Wall
Painted Lady	Mountain Ringlet
Small Tortoiseshell	Scotch Argus
Peacock	Grayling
Comma	Meadow Brown
Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary	Ringlet
Pearl-bordered Fritillary	Small Heath
Dark Green Fritillary	Large Heath
Speckled Wood