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. The 2007 UK Biodiversity Action Plan listed 22 butterfly species. The 2011 Red List of British butterflies lists 4 species as "regionally extinct", 2 as "critically endangered", 8 as "endangered, 9 as "vulnerable", 11 as "near threatened" and 28 as "least concern" in a UK context. In the list below, the categories are as taken from the 2022 Red List. 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 threat priority", with 9 of those with conservation priority status "Action urgent across UK range".

[Hesperiidae] – skippers

Subfamily Heteropterinae

Chequered skipper – Carterocephalus palaemon ^LC

Subfamily Hesperiinae

Small skipper – Thymelicus sylvestris ^LC
Essex skipper – Thymelicus lineola ^LC
Lulworth skipper – Thymelicus acteon ^NT
Silver-spotted skipper – Hesperia comma ^V
Large skipper – Ochlodes sylvanus ^LC

Subfamily Pyrginae

Dingy skipper – Erynnis tages tages ^LC
Grizzled skipper – Pyrgus malvae ^V

[Papilionidae] – swallowtails

Subfamily Papilioninae

Swallowtail – Papilio machaon ^V

[Pieridae] – whites and yellows

Subfamily Dismorphiinae

Wood white – Leptidea sinapis sinapis ^E

Subfamily Coliadinae

Dark clouded yellow – Colias croceus ^LC
Common brimstone – Gonepteryx rhamni rhamni ^LC

Subfamily Pierinae

Large white – Pieris brassicae ^LC
Small white – Pieris rapae ^LC
Green-veined white – Pieris napi ^LC
Orange tip – Anthocharis cardamines britannica ^LC

[Lycaenidae] – hairstreaks, coppers and blues

Subfamily Theclinae

Green hairstreak – Callophrys rubi ^LC
Brown hairstreak – Thecla betulae ^V
Purple hairstreak – Neozephyrus quercus ^LC
White-letter hairstreak – Satyrium w-album ^V
Black hairstreak – Satyrium pruni ^E

Subfamily Lycaena

Small copper – Lycaena phlaeas eleus ^LC

Subfamily Polyommatinae

Small blue – Cupido minimus ^NT
Silver-studded blue – Plebejus argus ^V
Brown argus – Aricia agestis ^LC
Northern brown argus – Aricia artaxerxes ^V
Common blue – Polyommatus icarus icarus ^LC
Chalkhill blue – Lysandra coridon ^V
Adonis blue – Lysandra bellargus ^V
Holly blue – Celastrina argiolus britanna ^LC
Large blue – Phengaris arion ^NT

[Riodinidae] – metalmarks

Duke of Burgundy – Hamearis lucina ^V

[Nymphalidae] – fritillaries, nymphalids and browns

Subfamily Heliconiinae

Small pearl-bordered fritillary – Boloria ''selene ^V
Pearl-bordered fritillary – Boloria ''euphrosyne ^V
High brown fritillary – Fabriciana adippe ^E
Dark green fritillary – Speyeria aglaja ^NT
Silver-washed fritillary – Argynnis paphia ^LC

Subfamily Limenitidinae

White admiral – Limenitis camilla ^V

Subfamily Apaturinae

Purple emperor – Apatura iris ^LC

Subfamily Nymphalinae

Red admiral – Vanessa atalanta ^LC
Painted lady – Vanessa cardui^LC
Small tortoiseshell – Aglais urticae ^LC
Peacock – Aglais io^LC
Comma – Polygonia c-album ^LC
Marsh fritillary – Euphydryas aurinia ^V
Glanville fritillary – Melitaea cinxia ^E
Heath fritillary – Melitaea athalia ^E

Subfamily Satyrinae

Speckled wood – Pararge aegeria ^LC
Wall – Lasiommata megera ^E
Small mountain ringlet – Erebia epiphron ^NT
Scotch argus – Erebia aethiops ^V
Marbled white – Melanargia galathea serena ^LC
Grayling – Hipparchia semele ^E
Gatekeeper – Pyronia tithonus britanniae ^LC
Meadow brown – Maniola jurtina ^LC
Ringlet – Aphantopus hyperantus ^LC
Small heath – Coenonympha pamphilus ^V
Large heath – Coenonympha tullia ^E

Vagrant, extinct and exotic species

Extinct

Arran brown – Erebia ligea
Black-veined white – Aporia crataegi ^RE
Mazarine blue – Cyaniris semiargus ^RE
Large copper – Lycaena dispar ^RE
Large tortoiseshell – Nymphalis polychloros ^RE
Almond-eyed ringlet – Erebia alberganus

Vagrants

Pale clouded yellow – Colias hyale
Berger's clouded yellow – Colias alfacariensis
Bath white – Pontia daplidice
Western dappled white – Euchloe crameri
Southern small white – Pieris mannii
Long-tailed blue – Lampides boeticus
Lang's short-tailed blue – Leptotes pirithous
Scarce swallowtail – Iphiclides podalirius
Short-tailed blue – Cupido argiades
Geranium bronze – Cacyreus marshalli
Scarce or yellow-legged tortoiseshell – Nymphalis xanthomelas
Camberwell beauty – Nymphalis antiopa
Map – Araschnia levana
Queen of Spain fritillary – Issoria lathonia
Monarch – Danaus plexippus
Plain tiger – Danaus chrysippus
Apollo – Parnassius apollo
American painted lady – Vanessa virginiensis

Exotics
Species included in the Great Britain Lepidoptera numbering system, but believed never to have occurred naturally in a wild state

Fiery skipper – Hylephila phyleus
Mallow skipper – Carcharodus alceae
Oberthür's grizzled skipper – Pyrgus armoricanus
Shy saliana – Saliana longirostris
Small Apollo – Parnassius phoebus
Spanish festoon – Zerynthia rumina
Southern festoon – Zerynthia polyxena
Tiger swallowtail – Papilio glaucus
Moorland clouded yellow – Colias palaeno
Cleopatra – Gonepteryx cleopatra
Slate flash – Rapala schistacea
Scarce copper – Lycaena virgaureae
Sooty copper – Lycaena tityrus
Purple-shot copper – Lycaena alciphron
Purple-edged copper – Lycaena hippothoe
Turquoise blue – Polyommatus dorylas
Green-underside blue – Glaucopsyche alexis
Julia – Dryas julia
Albin's Hampstead eye (meadow argus) – Junonia villida
Blue pansy – Junonia oenone
Zebra – Colobura dirce
Small brown shoemaker (orange mapwing) – Hypanartia lethe
Indian red admiral – Vanessa indica
Weaver's fritillary – Boloria dia
Aphrodite fritillary – Speyeria aphrodite
Niobe fritillary – Fabriciana niobe
Cardinal or Mediterranean fritillary – Argynnis pandora
Great spangled fritillary – Speyeria cybele
Spotted fritillary – Melitaea didyma
Large wall – Lasiommata maera
Woodland grayling – Hipparchia fagi
Hermit – Chazara briseis
False grayling – Arethusana arethusa
Cassia's owl-butterfly – Opsiphanes cassiae
Illioneus giant owl – ''Caligo illioneus''