Best time to see: Apr to mid Oct
Key facts
Familiar orange-red butterfly with black patches and blue border
Habitat: almost anywhere, especially where there are plenty of flowers and nettles
Widespread resident, common across the whole of Britain and Europe
Recognition
Upperwings orange-red with black patches and a dark border with blue crescents; underside like tree bark
Flies freely across the countryside and even out to sea, sometimes reaching France
Often seen basking on bramble with wings open; feeds on a wide range of flowers; wingspan 5 cm or so
Lifecycle
Glassy green eggs laid in clusters on nettles in May and again in July
Caterpillars are spiny, yellow and black, and scatter to pupate on vegetation or on walls
Adults hibernate over winter in garages, outhouses, cool rooms and churches, emerging in early spring
© Tony Gunton
© David Corke