LEPIDOPTERA (Butterflies & Moths) > PAPILIONOIDEA (Butterflies) > Nymphalidae > Nymphalinae

The Nymphalidae is the largest family of butterflies, collectively known as brush-footed butterflies, and taxonomically subdivided into various clades and subfamilies. There are more than 6,000 species worldwide, including snouts, clearwings, pashas, morphos, longwings, daggerwings, malachites and many others. The majority are tropical or subtropical species that are obviously not found in Britain. The classification of our species is relatively simple as we only have 'browns', fritillaries and vanessids. The 'browns' subfamily Satyrinae, and the fritillaries subfamily Heliconiinae, are dealt with separately.

This page is just for the species described as vanessids, primarily of the subfamily Nymphalinae, but also including the White Admiral, subfamily Limenitidinae. The vanessids are actually an informal group of popular and well-known although not necessarily common, brightly coloured butterflies. Eight species occur in Dorset of which six are currently featured here. The two missing species that I'd like to see are the elusive Purple Emperor and the very scarce, once native, but now sporadic migrant Large Tortoiseshell.

Interestingly, the Nymphalinae also includes the Marsh Fritillary, Glanville Fritillary and Heath Fritillary, which you would expect to be with the other fritillaries in subfamily Heliconiinae.

A number of the vanessids are typical garden butterflies. The Red Admiral [Vanessa atlanta], Peacock [Inachis io] and, to a slightly lesser extent, Comma [Polygonia c-album] are regular visitors to our semi-rural garden. The Painted Lady [Vanessa cardui] is a migrant species that may be seen one year, but not the next. The Small Tortoiseshell [Aglais urticae] used to be common a few years ago, but to see one in the garden now is a rarity.

The White Admiral [Limenitis camilla] is a woodland butterfly that can be found at a couple of locations locally, but so far has proven to be a rather elusive and frustratingly difficult species to photograph. They spend much of their time high in the canopy, as does the previously mentioned Purple Emperor [Apatura iris] that also inhabits one particular local wood where the White Admiral may be found. They only occasionally come down so, as with a couple of the hairstreak species, it's a case of being in the right place at the right time, which is easier said than done! At Horton Wood I've seen White Admirals on sunny afternoons coming down to Bramble blossom, but they never seem to settle for more than a few seconds. With the Purple Emperor, I've read that mid-morning is the best time, particularly at the beginning of the flight season at the end of June or beginning of July, when the males sometime descend to the ground to probe the soil for salts.