While some species such as the orange tip and green hairstreak are already a distant memory, the butterfly year is far from over, August and September are still a great time to look out for a number of species. For some of the woodland butterflies, you will have to be quick. This year’s warm summer has meant species such as the magnificent purple emperor and silver-washed fritillary are almost over but they will be replaced by commas and red admirals nectaring on the last of the bramble flowers or even ‘drinking’ the juice of over-ripe berries. The second generation of speckled wood butterflies will also be out in force, easily spotted basking in dappled sunlight and usually returning to the same spot after being disturbed. Peacock and small tortoiseshell can also be found along woodland rides especially if there are plenty of marsh thistles and knapweed, and in wetter woods, devils bit scabious.  

In gardens, gatekeepers, ringlets and meadow browns will still be around especially if you have a few areas of longer grass and if you have holly or ivy growing, they may well be joined by the second generation of holly blues. These wonderful little butterflies typically look more silver than blue and are easily identified by their ‘mad’ jinking flight up and down hedges. The second brood caterpillars eat the flower buds of ivy so don’t be too quick to cut is back in late summer because you could be depriving yourself of next spring’s holly blues. 

Large, small and green-veined whites will all be on their second broods and this year, numbers appear to be very high. Large pale butterflies are always worth a second look as the brimstone is back on the wing in August. The almost white female brimstone can easily be mistaken for a large white but the handsome sulphur yellow male is unmistakable. If you can follow one until it rests on vegetation, creep up and take a closer look at the remarkable leaf-vein camouflage pattern on the underwing. 

The three most common common grassland skippers, large, small and Essex are coming to the end of their adult phase but can still be found nectaring on plants such as ragwort. The second generation of common blue and brown Argus will just be emerging. Closely related and with very similar underwing patterns, the brown Argus is lacks any blue colour on the upper wing but can look deceptively similar to the female common blue that usually lacks any blue colour on the upper wing. Therefore, to be confident of separating the two, a good look at the subtle difference in underwing pattern is essential. 

The wall brown also has a second generation in August and rarely a third in September. This rapidly declining butterfly is now largely restricted to a few coastal areas such as Shingle Street and the Lower Waveney Valley where, at Carlton Marshes for example, it is still found in good numbers. 

Heathland in late summer is possibly one of the best butterfly habitats. Suffolk’s most glamorous heathland butterfly, the silver-studded blue, will be all but over now but the grayling can still be found along with the second generation of small heath and the unmistakable, brightly-coloured small copper. However, it is the flowering heather that really attracts butterflies to heathlands. Red admiral, peacock and small tortoiseshell butterflies can be found in large numbers taking advantage of the huge abundance of nectar. 

Late summer is often the best time of year to look out for two very attractive migrant species, the painted lady and clouded yellow. While they can turn up anywhere, the coast is often the best place to look. Last year was an extraordinary year for painted ladies but so far, 2020 has not been great with just a handful seen. However, that can rapidly change and with a good spell of southeasterly winds, they can arrive en masse. 

If the weather stays mild during the autumn, butterflies can be found on almost any sunny day bringing a little bit of colour and joy into our lives, so it’s always worth looking out for these fabulous insects. 

Make your garden a great place for butterflies:

Attract butterflies to your garden