Many butterflies in the meadow

13th July 2025 - under the warm sun, there were good numbers of butterflies in the wildflower meadows on Granta Park. Andy and Polly M spotted several Common Blue, an abundance of Gatekeeper, a few Small Skipper, a Comma and a few Small Heath.

Common Blue males have a stunning blue upperwing, most often seen in flight, whereas the female is brown above. On the underside, the male is grey-brown with a tinge of blue around the body, and pale orange spots along the wing edge, the female being browner with brighter orange spots. Both have the definitive single 'cell-spot' nearest the body on the underside of the forewing.

The Gatekeeper is a 'brown', and thus is largely brown and orange on the upper side, with a characteristic 'double-eyed' wing spot on the underside of the forewing.  The Comma is also largely orange on the upper side, but with a characteristic ragged wing edge, and the Small Skipper is more of a 'delta-wing' butterfly, with pale orange upperside with a dark margin that 'bleeds' slightly into the orange along the veins.

Mating pair of Common Blue butterfly

female (left), male (right)

male Common Blue butterfly

female Common Blue butterfly

male Common Blue butterfly, showing blue upper wing

Gatekeeper - note the double-eyed wing spot

Mating pair of Gatekeeper

Gatekeeper - much orange on the upper side

Comma - with its typical 'ragged-shaped' wing edge

Small Skipper