Botanical Name RU-SA 71

Dock Sorrels Family

A short-lived perennial herb of wet meadows, stream and river banks, ditches, muddy pathsides and field margins and gateways, often in places flooded or waterlogged in winter. 0-420 m (Swindale, Westmorland).

Native in all Europe

Gallery of Photos/Illustrations, Common Name and Synonym of
Rumex conglomeratus with
its distribution in USA and Canada from
Flora of USA and Canada.

Curled Dock
(Curly Dock)

curledfflodock

Flower

Rumex crispus

curledfflosdock

Flowers

The 4 small photos above were taken by Ron or Christine Foord

Dock Sorrels Family

curledffoldock

Foliage

An annual to short-lived perennial herb of waste ground, roadsides, disturbed pastures and arable land; also in a range of coastal habitats including drift-lines, shingle beaches, sand dunes, tidal river banks and the uppermost parts of saltmarshes.

Native in all Europe.

curledffordock

Form

curleddockrumexcrispuspolunin

Photo from Flowers of Europe A Field Guide by Oleg Polunin. Published by Oxford University Press in 1969.

Gallery of Photos/Illustrations, Common Name and Synonym of
Rumex crispus with
its distribution in USA and Canada from
Flora of USA and Canada.

Great Water Dock
(Water Dock)

greatfflowaterdock

Flower

Rumex hydrolapathum

July-September

greatffor1waterdock

Form

The 4 small photos above were taken by Ron or Christine Foord

Dock Sorrels Family

greatffolwaterdock

Foliage

A tufted perennial herb found, usually as an emergent, on the margins of slow-flowing rivers and streams, by canals, lakes and ponds, and in ditches. It can also colonise bare ground in marshes and fens, but does not survive in closed vegetation. Lowland.

Native in much of Europe, except in Portugal, Iceland, Albania, Greece and Turkey.

greatffor2waterdock

Form

greatwaterdockrumexhydrolapathumpolunin

Photo from Flowers of Europe A Field Guide by Oleg Polunin. Published by Oxford University Press in 1969.

Butter Dock
(Dooryard Dock,
Northern Dock,
Trossachs Dock,
Long-leaf Dock,
Long-leaved Dock)

Rumex longifolius
(Rumex aquaticus, Rumex domesticus)

June-July

Dock Sorrels Family

A perennial herb of open, disturbed ground on roadsides, river banks, streamsides and lake shores, in fields and around farms. 0?520 m (Hartside, Cumberland, and in Atholl, E. Perth).

Native to Europe, including Britain, from Scandinavia southwards and eastwards to the Pyrenees, the Caucasus, Western and Central Asia.
It chiefly grows in open areas such as on roadsides, in arable fields and in damp grassy places.

Gallery of Photos/Illustrations, Common Name and Synonym of
Rumex longifolius with
its distribution in USA and Canada from
Flora of USA and Canada.

Golden Dock
(Maritime Dock)

Rumex maritimus
(Rumex fueginus,
Rumex persicarioides)

Dock Sorrels Family

An annual to short-lived perennial herb, growing on the margins of pools, lakes, rivers and ditches, in clay-pits and wet hollows in marshy fields. Its sites are usually waterlogged in winter, but it occasionally occurs on dry ground. It can tolerate mildly saline conditions. Lowland.

Native in much of Europe, except in Portugal, Spain, Iceland, Albania, Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria

Gallery of Photos/Illustrations, Common Name and Synonym of
Rumex maritimus with
its distribution in USA and Canada from
Flora of USA and Canada.

Broad-leaved Dock
(Bitter Dock,
Broadleaf Dock)

broadleavedfflodock

Flower

Rumex obtusifolius
(Acetosa oblongifolia)

broadleavedfflosdock

Flowers

The 4 small photos above were taken by Ron or Christine Foord

Dock Sorrels Family

broadleavedffoldock

Foliage

A perennial herb of field margins, hedge banks, roadsides, stream and river banks, ditches and neglected cultivated ground. Mostly lowland, up to 565 m on Dent Crag (Westmorland), but with an exceptional record at 845 m on Great Dun Fell (Westmorland).

Native throughout Europe.
Leaves used to reduce irritation caused by nettle stings, and to soothe burns and scalds.

broadleavedffordock

Form

Gallery of Photos/Illustrations, Common Name and Synonym of
Rumex obtusifolius with
its distribution in USA and Canada from
Flora of USA and Canada.

Dock Family:-
Docks and Sorrels (Rumex and Oxyria):-
"The great majrity of our Docks - Dockens in the North - and Sorrels are both hairless and perennial. All have alternate leaves, narrowing up the stem, with thin papery sheaths at their base, and more or less branched terminal spikes of numerous small stalked greenish flowers, often tinged reddish, with their parts in twos (Oxyria) or threes (Rumex). Their fruits are 3-sided nuts, on which in some Docks are 1 or 3 small warts. Fully ripe fruits are essential for accurate identification of certain Docks; the lower leaves are also useful, but have often withered by the time the fruit is ripe. The dead brown flowering stems of many Docks persist conspicuously into the winter.
Our three Sorrels are generally slenderer than our score of Docks, and have acid-tasting arrow- or halberd-shaped leaves. The two abundant species, Sheep's and Common Sorrels, both have the male and female flowers on separate plants, and often turn a brilliant red as they go over, especially in dry places. Docks, on the other hand, are generally taller, stouter and greener, and unlike the Sorrels, redily hybridise. The most frequent hybrid is between Curled and Broad-leaved Docks; the others are too many to enumerate here.
Goosefoots are similar-looking green weedy plants, but have no papery sheaths, and rounded, not 3-angled fruits, and all but one are annuals." from Collins Pocket Guide to Wild Flowers by David McClintock and R.S.R. Fitter assisted by Francis Rose - ISBN 0 00 219363 9 - Eleventh Impression 1978

Marsh Dock
(Yellow Marsh Dock)

marshfflodock

Flower

Rumex palustris
(Rumex limosus)

June onwards

marshfflosdock

Flowers

The 4 small photos above were taken by Ron or Christine Foord

Dock Sorrels Family

marshffoldock

Foliage

An annual, biennial or short-lived perennial, typical of wet, nutrient-rich mud exposed in summer and autumn, most often in marshes and beside ponds and ditches, but also in clay- and gravel-pits and on damp disturbed ground. It is also an occasional weed of dry open sites, and has been recorded as a ballast alien. Lowland.

Native and widespread in Europe.

marshffordock

Form

Patience Dock
(Spinach Dock)

Rumex patientia

May-June

Dock Sorrels Family

A perennial herb which is naturalised on waste ground and river banks, especially near docks, wharves, breweries, former gasworks and other waste ground. It originates as a garden escape and from grass and clover seed. Lowland.

Introduced in waste places in a few localities in Southern England.

Gallery of Photos/Illustrations, Common Name and Synonym of
Rumex patientia with
its distribution in USA and Canada from
Flora of USA and Canada.

Fiddle Dock

Rumex pulcher

June-August

Dock Sorrels Family

A biennial or short-lived perennial herb of dry coastal pastures and slightly disturbed grassland on commons, village greens, churchyards and roadsides, mainly on lighter soils and often where the habitat is grazed or trampled. Lowland.

Native in much of Europe, except in Northern Europe, Portugal, Belgium, Holland and Germany : introduced into Ireland, Denmark, Sweden and Austria.

Gallery of Photos/Illustrations, Common Name and Synonym of
Rumex pulcher with
its distribution in USA and Canada from
Flora of USA and Canada.

Shore Dock

Rumex rupestris

May-June

Dock Sorrels Family

A perennial herb of sand and shingle beaches, the base of often unstable sea-cliffs, amongst coastal rocks and in damp dune-slacks; invariably in places where freshwater trickles, or streams debouch, onto the shore. Lowland.

Native on sea cliffs, rocky shores and in dune-slacks of Scilly, Cornwall, South Devon, Dorset, Glamorgan of Great Britain.
Native in Western France (Normandy, Brittany, Vendee), North-West Spain (Galicia).

Red-veined Dock
(Wood Dock,
Redvein Dock,
Bloodwort Dock))

woodfflodock

Flower

Rumex sanguineus

Wild Flower
...Flower Shape and Landscape Uses

woodfflosdock

Flowers

The 4 small photos above were taken by Ron or Christine Foord

Dock Sorrels Family

woodffoldock

Foliage

A short-lived perennial herb of woodland margins and rides, hedgerows, roadsides and waste ground. Found on a wide range of soils but favouring damp clay, and usually in more shaded, drier places than R. conglomeratus. Mainly lowland, but reaching 350 m in Glen Shee (Angus) and 380 m in W. Yorkshire.

Native and widespread in Europe.

woodffordock

Form

redveineddockrumexsanguineuspolunin

Photo from Flowers of Europe A Field Guide by Oleg Polunin. Published by Oxford University Press in 1969.

Gallery of Photos/Illustrations, Common Name and Synonym of
Rumex sanguineus with
its distribution in USA and Canada from
Flora of USA and Canada.

Beaked Tassel Pondweed
(Tassel Pondweed,
Coiled Pondweed,
Beaked Tasselweed,
Spiral Tasselweed,
Spiral Tassel Pondweed,
Widgeongrass,
Ditch Grass,
Spiral Ditchgrass)

Ruppia maritima
(Ruppia spiralis,
Ruppia rostellata,
Ruppia brachypus,
Rupia cirrhosa,
Ruppia pectinata)

July-September

Tassel Pondweed Family

Green

A submerged, annual or perennial aquatic of brackish waters, it grows in shallow water in coastal lakes, pools on saltmarshes, rock pools, creeks and ditches near the sea. It is also found as a dwarf variant on tidal mud-flats, especially in North-East Scotland. The recent inland record in Cheshire is in an area of natural salt deposits. Lowland.

Native in coasts of all Europe, except in Iceland.

Gallery of Photos/Illustrations, Common Name and Synonym of
Ruppia maritima with
its distribution in USA and Canada from
Flora of USA and Canada.

Butcher's Broom

Ruscus aculeatus

March-April

The 8 small photos above were taken by Ron or Christine Foord

Lily Family

A dioecious, evergreen, rhizomatous shrub, found as a native in dry woods and hedgerows, and on cliffs and rocky ground near the sea. It is also naturalised in similar situations, and in churchyards and near habitation. It reproduces vegetatively by creeping rhizomes, and by seed, which may be bird-sown. Lowland.

Native in Western Europe including Great Britain and South-East Europe, except Ireland and Holland.
The young shoots which resemble asparagus are edible; the dried branches can be used as a broom.


Male Flower at Farningham Wood on 14 February	Female Flower at Boxley in Kent on 14 April	Flowers	Form at Halling in Kent on 21 March

Foliage with Flowers at Halling on 21 March	Foliage with Flowers at Queensdown Warren in Kent	Seed at Burham in Kent on 16 August	Seeds

Annual Pearlwort
(Common Pearlwort)

cannualflopearlwort

These photos above were taken by Ron or Christine Foord

Sagina apetala

April-August

fannualfolpearlwort

Foliage

3 x 12
(8 x 30)

Pink Family

fannualforpearlwort

Form

Green

An annual of open situations, predominately in artificial habitats but also in gravelly and sandy places. 0-425 m (Grinton, N.W. Yorks.).

Native in all Europe, except in Iceland, Norway and Finland.

Annual with a slender tap-root and a loose central rosette-like cluster of leaves which soon wither, the main stem is erect, flowering, with several decumbent or ascending prostrate lateral stems.

Minutely hairy pale green with linear leaves ending in a short bristle.

White flowers in May-August followed by seed capsules.

Visited by small crawling insects and automatically self-pollinated.

Gallery of Photos/Illustrations, Common Name and Synonym of
Sagina apetala with
its distribution in USA and Canada from
Flora of USA and Canada.

UKButterflies Larval Foodplants website page lists the larval foodplants used by British butterflies. The name of each foodplant links to a Google search. An indication of whether the foodplant is a primary or secondary food source is also given.

Please note that the Butterfly you see for only a short time has grown up on plants as an egg, caterpillar and chrysalis for up to 11 months, before becoming a butterfly. If the plants that they live on during that time are removed, or sprayed with herbicide, then you will not see the butterfly.

Topic - Wildlife on Plant Photo Gallery.

Some UK native butterflies eat material from UK Native Wildflowers and live on them as eggs, caterpillars (Large Skipper eats False Brome grass - Brachypodium sylvaticum - for 11 months from July to May as a Caterpillar before becoming a Chrysalis within 3 weeks in May) chrysalis or butterflies ALL YEAR ROUND.
Please leave a small area in your garden for wildflowers to grow without disturbance throughout the year for the benefit of butterflies, moths and other wildlife who are dependant on them.
Butterfly
Usage of Plants
by Egg, Caterpillar, Chrysalis and Butterfly

Topic -
Plant Photo Galleries for Wildflowers

There are 180 families in the Wildflowers of the UK and they have been split up into 22 Galleries to allow space for up to 100 plants per gallery.

Each plant named in each of the Wildflower Family Pages may have a link to:-

its Plant Description Page in its Common Name in one of those Wildflower Plant Galleries and will have links
to external sites to purchase the plant or seed in its Botanical Name,
to see photos in its Flowering Months and
to read habitat details in its Habitat Column.

you know which family it belongs to, use
WILD FLOWER FAMILY PAGE MENU
(o)Adder's Tongue
Amaranth
the remainder of this Family list is in the extreme left hand table.

You know its Botanical Name, use
...Brown Botanical Names (see complete botanical name alphabetical link list in the previous table)

You know its Common Name, use
...Cream Common Names (see complete common name alphabetical link list in the previous table)
or use the
Colour Wheel Gallery .

If you know its name, use
Wild Flower Plant Index a-h,
Wild Flower Plant Index i-p or
Wild Flower Plant Index q-z

Which wild flowers are there, with their flower shape and wildflower plant, use

Each of the 17 Flower Colour Comparison Pages compares the wildflowers with that flower colour in the top section using the thumbnails of the ones that I have. This is followed by a list of all the Wildflowers of the UK that have that same flower colour. Then, in the right hand table is the list of Wildflowers of the UK with that habitat as shown below:-

White A-D
and
Habitats of Saltmarshes, Beaches, Rocks and Cliff Tops

White E-P
and
Other Habitats

White Q-Z
and
Number of Petals

Cream
and
Coastal Sandy Shores and Dunes

Yellow A-G
and
Pollinator

Yellow H-Z
and
Poisonous Plants

Orange
and
Habitat of Hedgerows and Road Verges

Red
and
Habitat of Pinewoods

Pink A-G
and
Habitats of Lakes, Canals and Rivers

Pink H-Z
and
Habitats of Marshes, Fens and Bogs

Mauve
and
Habitat of Grassland - Acid, Neutral or Chalk

Purple
and
Habitats of Old Buildings and Walls

Blue
and
Flower Legend

Green
and
Habitat of Broad-leaved Woods

Brown
and
Food for Butterfly / Moth

Multi-Coloured
and
Habitats of Heaths and Moors

Shrub and Small Tree
and
Habitats of River Banks and Other Freshwater Margins

Seed 1
and
Scented Flower, Foliage or Root

Seed 2
and
Story of Their Common Names

Non-Flower Plants and
Non-Flowering Plant Use

Introduction
and
Edible Plant Parts

Site Map
and
Use of Plant

The links for the above are at the top of the previous table.

You know which habitat it lives in,
use
Wild Flowers on
Acid Soil Habitat Table,
on Calcareous
(Chalk) Soil,
on Marine Soil,
on Neutral Soil,
is a Fern,
is a Grass,
is a Rush, or
is a Sedge

Wild Flower Family Page

The families within "The Pocket Guide to Wild Flowers" by David McClintock & R.S.R. Fitter, Published in 1956 are not in Common Name alphabetical order and neither are the common names of the plants detailed within each family. These families within that book will have their details described as shown in each row of the Botanical Names Gallery and the Common Name Gallery starting from page 1 in February 2017 until all the families have been completed on page 307 in June 2022.

The information in the above book is back-referenced to the respective page in "Flora of the British Isles" by A.R. Clapham of University of Sheffield,
T.G. Tutin of University College, Leicester and
E.F. Warburg of University of Oxford printed by Cambridge at the University Press in 1952 for each plant in all the families.

The following article about flash-flooding caused by concreting over front gardens by Janice Turner in her Notebook was published by The Times on Thursday July 1 2021:-

"Walking down a pretty street I'd always admired for its front gardens with wooden gates and well-tended flower beds, I noticed men at work laying concrete slabs. With a power point being installed too, it was clear the garden was being paved to charge an electric car.
In London, with an ultra low emission zone extended to the suburbs from October, many people are busy switching vehicles. With fears that even hybrids will soon be verboten, most have bought electric. But this creates a problem: running cables from house o pavement is an illegal trip hazard and, as yet, not enough lamposts have been adapted into charging stations.
So how many front gardens will be concreted over to create private power sources? A 2015 study by the Royal Horticultural Society noted that 1 in 4 front gardens had been paved, mainly to avoid parking fees. The result was more flash-flooding, higher urban temperatures and less biodiversity and opportunity for birds to feed. Plus it makes neighbourhoods ugly and monochrome. Now more gardens will be dug up, this time because the owners aspire to be green."

"Mon, 27 Nov 06
Britain is now building the smallest homes in Europe, it seems. A recent think-tank report shows most of Europe builds houses of an average 100 sq m, while here in the UK fresh data from Wolsey Securities shows the national average plot size decreased a further 0.2% last month to 968 sq ft. (89.9 sq m.)" from Home.co.uk.
A new house is approximately 31 x 31 feet, which would fit into my front garden.

"The length of a compact car is about 14.5 to 15 feet and measures about 5.5 to almost 6 feet wide." from reference.
Allowing 2 feet around the car for access, then the drive becomes 19 feet x 10 feet (570 x 300 cms). 2 inches (5cm) of rain falling onto this 5.70 x 3.00 concrete drive is 0.855 cubic metres of water. Modern contractors only dig a 1 cubic metre sump for this 2 inch (5cm) depth of rainwater per occasion over their new drives. If the drive is larger, then the sump will fill up and overflow onto the public road. If the subsoil is clay, then no matter it's size, it will become full of rainwater and new rain will overfill it. The only way it will reduce the stored water is for it to be absorbed into the clay. Clay can absorb 40% of its volume before it turns from a solid to a liquid. So what happens is the clay expands and the house gets subsidence. Then, the excess rainwater goes into the storm drains and that is what causes the flash-flooding mentioned in The Times article. Remember that the rainwater falling on the roof also goes into this stormdrain.
"Many storm drainage systems drain untreated storm water into rivers or streams." from wikipedia.

The rainwater that used to fall on that plot and soak into the ground, now mostly goes into a storm drain, then a river and then the sea, so we lose that rainwater for it to be used as a supply of water to the household. So, the more you cover the ground with concrete motorways, roads, houses, and other buildings the less water will be going into reservoirs to be used for humans as shown by my Drinking Water depri-vation in Medway article.

Raw Sewage is discharged into rivers (more than 200,00 times in 2019) and the sea (2,900 occasions onto English and Welsh beaches in a year) across the UK and Ireland. The Environment Agency published full data on raw sewage discharges last year, showing a 37% year-on-year increase: 3.1m hours of human effluent flows, pumped via storm drains into English waters in some 400,000 occasions.
Because you do not keep your own rainwater on your own property, then it either overflows your soakaway and goes into the road and down a storm drain or the water is directed into your downpipe from your roof and then into the same stormdrain. This then overloads the system. Also, if you keep on building, but do not provide the necessary upgrade to the sewage system, then that causes the same problem. You should not go anywhere near the beach or any river in Great Britain.

"The oxygen you breathe to keep you alive has mostly been produced by plants. A 25 feet x 25 feet lawn can produce enough oxygen for you to keep breathing each year.
A car driven 60 miles will consume the same amount of oxygen that a mature beech tree produces in 1 year, creating more Carbon Dioxide. Increasing Carbon Dioxide increases the heat in the atmosphere and creates Climate Change. The increase in temperature will raise sea level to drown many acres of coastal areas around the world within the next 30 years, including my house.

Green Solution: Use Cedadrive Stabilisation system instead of concrete slabs for drive area. Fill it with Heicom Tree Sand, water it, sow wildflower meadow mixture Barflora Flower Meadow and retop with same sand. Then in the autumn, mow it once and have something that provides you with oxygen as well as hard standing for your car.
This Cedadrive could occupy the whole of your front garden and thus keep all the rainwater that falls on it as well.
If you put the same system on your back garden, then maintenance time is minimal, small children and pets can play on it, and you can have table/chairs and barbecue being supported by it.

Plants used by the Butterflies follow the Plants used by the Egg, Caterpillar and Chrysalis as stated in
A Butterfly Book for the Pocket by Edmund Sandars.
Published by Oxford University Press London: Humphrey Milford in 1939.

and

The Butterflies of Britain & Ireland New Revised Edition by Jeremy Thomas & Richard Lewington.
Published by Bloomsbury Natural Hstory in 2016. ISBN 978 0 95649 026 1.

Plant Name

Butterfly Name

Egg/ Caterpillar/ Chrysalis/ Butterfly

Plant Usage

Plant Usage Months

Alder Buckthorn

Brimstone

Egg,

Caterpillar
Chrysalis

1 egg under leaf.

Eats leaves.
---

10 days in May-June
28 days.
12 days.

Aspen

Egg,

Caterpillar
Chrysalis

Eggs laid in batches encircling the branch of the food plant.
Feeds on leaves.
Hangs suspended from stem.

Hatches after 18-22 days in April.
30 days in May
9 days in June.

Black Medic

Egg,

Caterpillar

Chrysalis

Groups of eggs on upper side of leaf.
Eats buds and flowers.

Base of food plant.

-
-
Spend winter at the base of the food plant. They resume feeding in March.
2 weeks

Chalk-Hill Blue

Egg,
Caterpillar
Chrysalis

1 egg at base of plant.
Eats leaves.
---

Late August-April
April-June
1 Month

Egg,

Caterpillar

Chrysalis

Groups of eggs on upper side of leaf.
Eats buds and flowers.

Base of food plant.

-
-
Spend winter at the base of the food plant. They resume feeding in March.
2 weeks

Egg,

Caterpillar
Chrysalis

1 egg laid on underside of leaflets or bracts.
Eats leaves.
---

7 days in June.

32 days in June-July.
July-May.

Bitter Vetch

Egg,

Caterpillar
Chrysalis

1 egg laid on underside of leaflets or bracts.
Eats leaves.
---

7 days in June.

32 days in June-July.
July-May.

Borage

Egg,

Caterpillar

Chrysalis

1 egg laid under the leaf or on top of the flower.
Eats leaves, then before pupating it eats the bloom and leaves of the pansies.
---

7 days in August.

23 days in August-September.

3 weeks in September

Bramble

Egg,

Caterpillar
Chrysalis

1 egg on underside of a flower bud on its stalk.
Eats flower bud.
---

7 days.

28-42 days.
18 days. Early September to Late April for second generation.

Buckthorn

Buckthorn -
Alder Buckthorn and Common Buckthorn

Egg,

Caterpillar
Chrysalis

1 egg on underside of a flower bud on its stalk.
Eats flower bud.
---

7 days.

28-42 days.
18 days. Early September to Late April for second generation.

Brimstone

Egg,

Caterpillar
Chrysalis

1 egg under leaf.

Eats leaves.
---

10 days in May-June.

28 days.
12 days.

Burdocks

Egg,
Caterpillar
Chrysalis

1 egg on leaf.
Eats leaves.
---

2 weeks
7-11days
7-11 days

Cabbages - ELarge White eats all cruciferous plants, such as cabbages, mustard, turnips, radishes, cresses, nasturtiums, wild mignonette and dyer's weed

Large White

Egg,

Caterpillar
Chrysalis

40-100 eggs on both surfaces of leaf.

Eats leaves.
---

May-June and August-Early September. 4.5-17 days.
30-32 days
14 days for May-June eggs, or overwinter till April

Cabbages

Small White

Egg,

Caterpillar
Chrysalis

1 egg on underside of leaf.

Eats leaves.
---

May-June and August. 7 days.
28 days
21 days for May-June eggs, or overwinter till March

Cabbages:-
Charlock,
Cuckoo Flower (Lady's Smock),
Hedge-Mustard,
Garlic-Mustard,
Yellow Rocket (Common Winter-Cress),
Watercress

Green-veined White

Egg,

Caterpillar
Chrysalis

1 egg on underside of leaf.

Eats leaves.
---

July or August; hatches in 3 days.
16 days.
14 days in July or for caterpillars of August, they overwinter till May.

Cabbages:-
Charlock,
Creeping Yellow-cress,
Cuckoo Flower (Lady's Smock),
Dame's Violet,
Hedge-Mustard,
Horseradish,
Garlic-Mustard,
Lady's Smock,
Large Bittercress,
Rock-cress (Common Winter-Cress),
Yellow Rocket (Common Winter-Cress),
Watercress ,
Wild Turnip

Egg,

Caterpillar

Chrysalis

1 egg laid in the tight buds and flowers.
Eats leaves, buds, flowers and especially the seed pods.
---

May-June 7 days.

June-July 24 days.

August-May

Cherry with
Wild Cherry,
Morello Cherry and
Bird Cherry

Egg,

Caterpillar
Chrysalis

Eggs laid in batches encircling the branch of the food plant.
Feeds on leaves.
Hangs suspended from stem.

Hatches after 18-22 days in April.
30 days in May.
9 days in June.

Egg,

Caterpillar

Chrysalis

Groups of eggs on upper side of leaf.
Eats buds and flowers.

Base of food plant.

-
-
Spend winter at the base of the food plant. They resume feeding in March.
2 weeks.

Pale Clouded Yellow

Egg,
Caterpillar
Chrysalis

1 egg on leaf.
Eats leaves.

10 days in May-June.
July-August.
17 days in August-September.

Egg,
Caterpillar
Chrysalis

1 egg on leaf.
Eats leaves.

6 days in May-June.
30 days.
18 days in July-August.

Cocksfoot is a grass

Large Skipper

Egg,
Caterpillar
Chrysalis

1 egg under leaf.
Eats leaves.
---

11 Months
3 weeks from May

Cow-wheat

(Common CowWheat, Field CowWheat)

Egg,

Caterpillar

Chrysalis

Eggs laid in batches on the under side of the leaves.
Feeds on leaves until end of August. Hibernates on dead leaves until March. Eats young leaves until June.
---

Hatches after 16 days in June.
June-April

25 days in June.

Currants
(Red Currant,
Black Currant and Gooseberry)

Egg,

Caterpillar
Chrysalis

Groups of eggs on upper side of leaf.
Eats leaves.
---

Devilsbit Scabious

Egg,

Caterpillar

Chrysalis

Eggs laid in batches on the under side of the leaves.
Feeds on leaves until late August. Hibernates on dead leaves until March. Eats leaves until May.
---

Hatches after 20 days in July.
July-May.

15 days in May.

Dog Violet with
Common Dog Violet,
Heath Dog Violet and
Wood Dog Violet

Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Egg,
Caterpillar

Chrysalis

1 egg on oak or pine tree trunk
Hibernates in a crevice in the bark of the tree trunk.
Moves out of tree to eat Dog Violet leaves.
On rock or twig.

15 days in July.
August-March.

March-May.

Late June-July

Dog Violet with
Common Dog Violet,
Heath Dog Violet and
Wood Dog Violet

Egg,

Caterpillar

Chrysalis

1 egg on leaf or stem.

Feeds on leaves until July. Hibernates on dead leaves until March. Eats young leaves until May.
---

Hatches after 15 days in May-June.
July-May.

9 days in June.

Dog Violet with
Common Dog Violet,
Heath Dog Violet and
Wood Dog Violet

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Egg,

Caterpillar

Chrysalis

1 egg on leaf or stem.

Feeds on leaves until July. Hibernates in dead leaves until March. Eats young leaves until April.
---

Hatches after 10 days in May-June.
June-April

April-June.

Dogwood

Egg,

Caterpillar
Chrysalis

1 egg on underside of a flower bud on its stalk.
Eats flower bud.
---

7 days.

28-42 days.
18 days. Early September to Late April for second generation.

Elm and Wych Elm

Egg,

Caterpillar
Chrysalis

Eggs laid in batches encircling the branch of the food plant.
Feeds on leaves.
Hangs suspended from stem.

Hatches after 18-22 days in April.
30 days in May.
9 days in June.

False Brome is a grass (Wood Brome, Wood False-brome and Slender False-brome)

Large Skipper

Egg,
Caterpillar
Chrysalis

1 egg under leaf.
Eats leaves.
---

...
11 Months
3 weeks from May

Foxglove

Egg,

Caterpillar

Chrysalis

Eggs laid in batches on the under side of the leaves.
Feeds on leaves until late August. Hibernates on dead leaves until March. Eats leaves until May.
---

Hatches after 20 days in July.
July-May

15 days in May.

Fyfield Pea

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Egg,

Caterpillar
Chrysalis

1 egg laid on underside of leaflets or bracts.
Eats leaves.
---

7 days in June.

32 days in June-July.
July-May.

Garden Pansy

Egg,

Caterpillar

Chrysalis

1 egg on leaf or stem.
Feeds on leaves until July. Hibernates in dead leaves until March. Eats young leaves until April.
---

Hatches after 10 days in May-June.
June-April

April-June.

Gorse

Egg,

Caterpillar
Chrysalis

1 egg on underside of a flower bud on its stalk.
Eats flower bud.
---

7 days.

28-42 days.
18 days. Early September to Late April for second generation.

Heartsease

Egg,

Caterpillar

Chrysalis

1 egg laid under the leaf or on top of the flower.
Eats leaves, then before pupating it eats the bloom and leaves of the pansies.
---

7 days in August.

23 days in August-September.

3 weeks in September

Hogs's Fennel

Swallowtail

Egg,

Caterpillar

Chrysalis

1 egg on leaf. 5 or 6 eggs may be deposited by separate females on one leaf.
Eats leaves, and moves to stems of sedges or other fen plants before pupating.
---

14 days in July-August.

August-September.

September-May.

Holly

Honesty (Lunaria biennis)

Egg,

Caterpillar
Chrysalis

1 egg on underside of a flower bud on its stalk.
Eats flower bud.
---

7 days.

28-42 days.
18 days. Early September to Late April for second generation.

Egg,

Caterpillar

Chrysalis

1 egg laid in the tight buds and flowers.
Eats leaves, buds, flowers and especially the seed pods.
---

May-June 7 days.

June-July 24 days.

August-May

Honeysuckle

Egg,

Caterpillar

Chrysalis

Eggs laid in batches on the under side of the leaves.
Feeds on leaves until late August. Hibernates on dead leaves until March. Eats leaves until May.
---

Hatches after 20 days in July.
July-May.

15 days in May.

Hop

Adonis Blue

Chalk-Hill Blue

Berger's Clouded Yellow

Egg,

Caterpillar
Chrysalis

Groups of eggs on upper side of leaf.
Eats leaves.
---

Horseshoe vetch

Egg,
Caterpillar

Chrysalis

Egg,
Caterpillar
Chrysalis

Egg,

Caterpillar

Chrysalis

1 egg under leaf.
Eats leaves.

---

1 egg at base of plant.
Eats leaves.
---

1 egg on leaf.

Eats leaves.

---

1 then
June-March or September to July
3 weeks.

Late August-April.
April-June
1 Month

8-10 days in Late May-June or Middle August-September
June-July or September to October
8-15 days

Ivy

Pale Clouded Yellow

Clouded Yellow

Egg,

Caterpillar
Chrysalis

1 egg on underside of a flower bud on its stalk.
Eats flower bud.
---

7 days.

28-42 days.
18 days. Early September to Late April for second generation.

Kidney Vetch

Chalk-Hill Blue

Egg,
Caterpillar
Chrysalis
Butterfly

1 egg at base of plant.
Eats leaves.
---
Eats nectar.

Late August-April.
April-June
1 Month
20 days

Lucerne

Egg,
Caterpillar
Chrysalis

Egg,
Caterpillar
Chrysalis

1 egg on leaf.
Eats leaves.

1 egg on leaf.
Eats leaves.
---

10 days in May-June.
July-August.
17 days in August-September.

6 days in May-June.
30 days.
18 days in July-August.

Mallows

Egg,
Caterpillar
Chrysalis

1 egg on leaf.
Eats leaves.
---

2 weeks
7-11days
7-11 days

Melilot

Egg,
Caterpillar
Chrysalis

1 egg on leaf.
Eats leaves.

6 days in May-June.
30 days.
18 days in July-August.

Mignonettes

Small White

Egg,

Caterpillar
Chrysalis

1 egg on underside of leaf.

Eats leaves.
---

May-June and August. 7 days.
28 days
21 days for May-June eggs, or overwinter till March

Milk Parsley

Swallowtail

Egg,

Caterpillar

Chrysalis

1 egg on leaf. 5 or 6 eggs may be deposited by separate females on one leaf.
Eats leaves, and moves to stems of sedges or other fen plants before pupating.
---

14 days in July-August.

August-September

September-May

Narrow-leaved Plantain (Ribwort Plantain)

Egg,

Caterpillar

Chrysalis

Eggs laid in batches on the under side of the leaves.
Feeds on leaves until end of August. Hibernates on dead leaves until March. Eats young leaves until June.
---

Hatches after 16 days in June.
June-April.

25 days in June.

Narrow-leaved Plantain (Ribwort Plantain)

Glanville Fritillary

Egg,

Caterpillar

Chrysalis

Eggs laid in batches on the under side of the leaves.
Feeds on leaves until middle of August. Hibernates on dead leaves until March. Eats leaves until April-May.
---

Hatches after 16 days in June.
June-April.

25 days in April-May.

Nasturtium from Gardens

Small White

Egg,

Caterpillar
Chrysalis

1 egg on underside of leaf.

Eats leaves.
---

May-June and August. 7 days.
28 days.
21 days for May-June eggs, or overwinter till March

Oak Tree

Egg,
Caterpillar

Chrysalis

1 egg on tree trunk
Hibernates in a crevice in the bark of the tree trunk.
Moves out of tree to eat Dog Violet leaves.
On rock or twig.

15 days in July.
August-March.

March-May.

Late June-July

Mountain pansy,
Seaside Pansy,
Field Pansy and Cultivated Pansy.

Egg,

Caterpillar

Chrysalis

1 egg laid under the leaf or on top of the flower.
Eats leaves of borage, sainfoin and heartsease, then before pupating it eats the bloom and leaves of the pansies.
---

7 days in August.

23 days in August-September

3 weeks in September

Pine Tree

Egg,
Caterpillar

Chrysalis

1 egg on tree trunk.
Hibernates in a crevice in the bark of the tree trunk.
Moves out of tree to eat Dog Violet leaves.
On rock or twig.

15 days in July.
August-March.

March-May.

Late June-July

Plantains

Egg,

Caterpillar

Chrysalis

Eggs laid in batches on the under side of the leaves.
Feeds on leaves until late August. Hibernates on dead leaves until March. Eats leaves until May.
---

Hatches after 20 days in July.
July-May

15 days in May.

Poplar

Egg,

Caterpillar
Chrysalis

Eggs laid in batches encircling the branch of the food plant.
Feeds on leaves.
Hangs suspended from stem.

Hatches after 18-22 days in April.
30 days in May.
9 days in June.

Restharrow

Egg,

Caterpillar

Chrysalis

Groups of eggs on upper side of leaf.
Eats buds and flowers.

Base of food plant.

-
-
Spend winter at the base of the food plant. They resume feeding in March.
2 weeks

Rock-rose

Brown Argus

Egg,
Caterpillar

1 egg under leaf.
Eats leaves.

Sainfoin

Common Sallow (Willows, Osiers)

Egg,

Caterpillar

Chrysalis

1 egg laid under the leaf or on top of the flower.
Eats leaves, then before pupating it eats the bloom and leaves of the pansies.
---

7 days in August.

23 days in August-September

3 weeks in September

Egg,

Caterpillar
Chrysalis

Eggs laid in batches encircling the branch of the food plant.
Feeds on leaves.
Hangs suspended from stem

Hatches after 18-22 days in April.
30 days in May.
9 days in June.

Sea Plantain

Glanville Fritillary

Egg,

Caterpillar

Chrysalis

Eggs laid in batches on the under side of the leaves.
Feeds on leaves until middle of August. Hibernates on dead leaves until March. Eats leaves until April-May.
---

Hatches after 16 days in June.
June-April

25 days in April-May.

Snowberry

Egg,

Caterpillar
Chrysalis

1 egg on underside of a flower bud on its stalk.
Eats flower bud.
---

7 days.

28-42 days.
18 days. Early September to Late April for second generation.

Spindle-tree

Egg,

Caterpillar
Chrysalis

1 egg on underside of a flower bud on its stalk.
Eats flower bud.
---

7 days.

28-42 days.
18 days. Early September to Late April for second generation.

Stinging Nettle

Comma

Painted Lady

Peacock

Egg,

Caterpillar
Chrysalis

Egg
Caterpillar
Chrysalis

Egg,

Caterpillar

Chrysalis

Groups of eggs on upper side of leaf.
Eats leaves.
---

1 egg on leaf.
Eats leaves.
---

Dense mass of 450-500 eggs on the under side of leaves over a 2 hour period.
Eats leaves, and moves to another plant before pupating.
---

2 weeks in June.
7-11 days.
7-11 days.

14 days in April-May.

28 days.

13days.

Storksbill

Brown Argus

Egg,
Caterpillar

1 egg under leaf.
Eats leaves.

Thistles

Egg,
Caterpillar
Chrysalis

1 egg on leaf.
Eats leaves.
---

2 weeks
7-11days
7-11 days

Trefoils 1, 2, 3

Egg,
Caterpillar
Chrysalis

1 egg on leaf.
Eats leaves.

6 days in May-June.
30 days.
18 days in July-August.

Vetches

Egg,

Caterpillar

Chrysalis

Groups of eggs on upper side of leaf.
Eats buds and flowers.

Base of food plant.

-
-
Spend winter at the base of the food plant. They resume feeding in March.
2 weeks

Vetches

Egg,

Caterpillar
Chrysalis

1 egg laid on underside of leaflets or bracts.
Eats leaves.
---

7 days in June.

32 days in June-July.
July-May.

Violets:-
Common Dog Violet,
Hairy Violet,
Heath Dog-violet
Pale Dog violet
Sweet Violet

Dark Green Fritillary

Egg,

Caterpillar

Chrysalis

1 egg on underside of leaf or on stalk.
Hibernates where it hatches.
Eats leaves.

Base of food plant.

July-August for 17 days.

Spends winter on plant until end of March. Eats leaves until end of May.
4 weeks.

Violets:-
Common Dog Violet,
Hairy Violet,
Heath Dog-violet
Pale Dog violet
Sweet Violet

High Brown Fritillary

Egg,

Caterpillar

Chrysalis

1 egg on stem or stalk near plant base.
Feed on young leaves, stalks and stems
---

July to hatch in 8 months in March.
9 weeks ending in May.

4 weeks

Vipers Bugloss

Egg,
Caterpillar
Chrysalis

1 egg on leaf.
Eats leaves.
---

2 weeks.
7-11days.
7-11 days

Whitebeam
(White Beam)

Egg,

Caterpillar
Chrysalis

Eggs laid in batches encircling the branch of the food plant.
Feeds on leaves.
Hangs suspended from stem.

Hatches after 18-22 days in April.
30 days in May.
9 days in June.

Wild Angelica

Swallowtail

Egg,

Caterpillar

Chrysalis

1 egg on leaf. 5 or 6 eggs may be deposited by separate females on one leaf.
Eats leaves, and moves to stems of sedges or other fen plants before pupating.
---

14 days in July-August.

August-September.

September-May

Willow
(Bay Willow)

Egg,

Caterpillar
Chrysalis

Eggs laid in batches encircling the branch of the food plant.
Feeds on leaves.
Hangs suspended from stem.

Hatches after 18-22 days in April.
30 days in May.
9 days in June.

Wood-Sage

Egg,

Caterpillar

Chrysalis

Eggs laid in batches on the under side of the leaves.
Feeds on leaves until late August. Hibernates on dead leaves until March. Eats leaves until May.
---

Hatches after 20 days in July.
July-May.

15 days in May.

Plants used by the Butterflies

Plant Name

Butterfly Name

Egg/ Caterpillar/ Chrysalis/ Butterfly

Plant Usage

Plant Usage Months

Asters
in gardens

Butterfly

Eats nectar.

Runner and Broad Beans in fields and gardens

Large White

Small White

Butterfly

Eats nectar

April-June or July-September.

March-May or June-September

Aubretia in gardens

Butterfly

Eats nectar

May-June or August till killed by frost and damp in September-November

Birch

Butterfly

Eats sap exuding from trunk.

April-Mid June and Mid July-Early September for second generation.

Chalk-Hill Blue

Wood White

Marsh Fritillary

Butterfly

Eats nectar.

20 days.

May-June.

30 days in May-June.

Bitter Vetch

Holly Blue

Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Butterfly

Eats nectar

May-June

Bluebell

Butterfly

Eats nectar

April-Mid June and Mid July-Early September for second generation.

June.

June-August.

Bramble

Comma

Silver-washed Fritillary

High Brown Fritillary

Butterfly

Eats nectar.

July-October.

7 weeks in July-August.

June-August

Buddleias
in gardens

Comma

Peacock

Butterfly

Eats nectar.

July-October.

July-May

Bugle

Wood White

Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Heath Fritillary

Butterfly

Eats nectar

May-June.

June.

June-August.

June-July.

Cabbage and cabbages in fields

Large White

Small White

Green-veined White

Butterfly

Eats nectar

April-June or July-September.

March-May or June-September.

A Month during May-June or second flight in late July-August.

May-June for 18 days.

Charlock

Butterfly

Eats nectar

July-October

Adonis Blue

Chalk-Hill Blue

Painted Lady

Peacock

Large White

Small White

Butterfly

Eats nectar.

1 Month during Mid-May to Mid-June or during August-September

20 days in August.

July-October.

July-May.

April-June or July-September.

March-May or June-September

Pale Clouded Yellow

Clouded Yellow

Berger's Clouded Yellow

Queen of Spain Fritillary

Butterfly

Eats nectar

May-June or August till killed by frost and damp in September-November

May-June or August till killed by frost and damp in September-November.

1 Month in May-June or August till killed by frost and damp in September-November.

May-September.

Cow-wheat
(Common CowWheat, Field CowWheat)

Cuckoo Flower (Lady's Smock)

Butterfly

Eats nectar

June-July

Holly Blue

Marsh Fritillary

Butterfly

Eats nectar

May-June

Dandelion

Butterfly

Eats nectar

April-Mid June and Mid July-Early September for second generation.

30 days in May-June.

Fleabanes

Butterfly

Eats nectar.

3 weeks between May and September

Germander Speedwell (Veronica chamaedrys - Birdseye Speedwell)

Butterfly

Eats nectar

June-July

Greater Knapweed

Comma

Peacock

Clouded Yellow

Brimstone

Butterfly

Eats nectar.

July-October.

July-May.

May-June or August till killed by frost and damp in September-November.

12 months

Hawkbit

Butterfly

Eats nectar

30 days in May-June.

Heartsease

Butterfly

Eats nectar

May-September

Hedge Parsley

Butterfly

Eats nectar.

May-June for 18 days.

Hemp agrimony

Adonis Blue

Chalk-Hill Blue

Butterfly

Eats nectar.

July-October

Horseshoe vetch

Butterfly

Eats nectar.

1 Month.

20 days

Ivy

Painted Lady

Brimstone

Butterfly

Eats nectar.

Hibernates during winter months in its foliage.

July-October.

October-July

Lucerne

Painted Lady

Large White

Small White

Pale Clouded Yellow

Clouded Yellow

Berger's Clouded Yellow

Butterfly

Eats nectar

July-October.

April-June or July-September.

March-May or June-September

May-June or August till killed by frost and damp in September-November.

May-June or August till killed by frost and damp in September-November.

1 Month in May-June or August till killed by frost and damp in September-November

Marigolds in gardens

Butterfly

Eats nectar

May-June or August till killed by frost and damp in September-November

Marjoram

Adonis Blue

Chalk-Hill Blue

Common Blue

Clouded Yellow

Butterfly

Eats nectar.

1 Month during Mid-May to Mid-June or during August-September.

20 days in August.

3 weeks in May-September.

May-June or August till killed by frost and damp in September-November

Michaelmas Daisies
in gardens

Butterfly

Eats nectar.

July-October

Mignonettes

Large White

Small White

Butterfly

Eats nectar

April-June or July-September.

March-May or June-September

Narrow-leaved Plantain (Ribwort Plantain)

Butterfly

Eats nectar

June-July

Nasturtiums in gardens

Large White

Small White

Butterfly

Eats nectar

April-June or July-September

March-May or June-September

Oak Tree

Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Butterfly

Eats sap exuding from trunk.

April-Mid June and Mid July-Early September for second generation.

Primroses

Butterfly

Eats nectar

June.

June-August.

Ragged Robin

Wood White

Heath Fritillary

Butterfly

Eats nectar

May-June.

June-July.

Scabious

Painted Lady

Peacock

Butterfly

Eats nectar

July-October.

July-May

Sedum

Peacock

Butterfly

Eats nectar

July-May

Teasels

Thistles -
Creeping Thistle, Dwarf Thistle, Marsh Thistle, Meadow Thistle, Melancholy Thistle, Milk Thistle,
Musk Thistle, Seaside Thistle, Scotch Thistle, Spear Thistle, Tuberous Thistle, Welted Thistle, Woolly Thistle

Butterfly

Eats nectar

7 weeks in July-August.

Comma

Painted Lady

Peacock

Swallowtail

Clouded Yellow

Brimstone

Silver-washed Fritillary

High Brown Fritillary

Dark Green Fritillary

Queen of Spain Fritillary

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Butterfly

Eats nectar.

July-October.

July-October.

July-May.

May-July.

May-June or August till killed by frost and damp in September-November.

12 months.

7 weeks in July-August

June-August.

July-August for 6 weeks.

May-September.

June-August.

Thymes

Adonis Blue

Chalk-Hill Blue

Glanville Fritillary

Butterfly

Eats nectar.

3 weeks between May and September

Trefoils 1, 2, 3

Butterfly

Eats nectar.

1 Month during Mid-May to Mid-June or during August-September

20 days in August.

June-July

Vetches

Chalk-Hill Blue

Glanville Fritillary

Butterfly

Eats nectar.

20 days in August.

June-July.

Violets

Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Butterfly

Eats nectar

June.

June-August.

Wood-Sage

Butterfly

Eats nectar

June-July

Apple/Pear/Cherry/Plum Fruit Tree Blossom in Spring

Peacock

Butterfly

Eats Nectar

April-May

Rotten Fruit

Peacock

Butterfly

Drinks juice

July-September

Tree sap and damaged ripe fruit, which are high in sugar