Top 20 Most Common Insects in Brighton and Hove

Green-veined white (Pieris napi) is a distinctively white-winged butterfly that lays its eggs in a variety of food plants. This species displays observable differences dependent on sex: males possess only one dark spot on each forewing, whereas females display two. Unlike several of its cousin species, green-veined white prefers not to lay eggs in garden cabbages, rendering it less of a pest to farmers.

Melanargia galathea has a wingspan of 1.8–2.2 in. In these medium-sized butterflies the upper side of the wings is decorated with white and gray-black or dark brown markings, but it is always gray-black or dark brown checkered in the basal and distal areas. The underside is similar to the upper side but the drawings is light gray or light brown. On the underside of the hindwings is present a row of gray eye spots. The males and the females are quite similar, except that some females may have a yellowish nuance on the underside of the wings. The larvae are a lime-green colour, with a dark green line running down the middle of their back. The caterpillars are about 3 cm long. They are green or yellow with some lighter and darker narrow longitudinal lines. The head is always light brown.

Red admiral (Vanessa atalanta) is a visually striking species of butterfly. Unusually territorial, males will compete for choice areas, and females will only mate with males that maintain their own territories. This butterfly is known for being particularly patient with human interactions, even to the point of perching on clothing or flesh.

Ochlodes sylvanus has a wingspan of 28–32 mm, which is similar in size to Chequered skipper. Although called "large" this is still a relatively small butterfly and not much larger than either the small or Essex skippers. The body is rather squat. The antennae are hooked at their tips. The upperside of the wings is orange-brown with a brown border and some lighter spots. The underside of the hindwings is greenish-yellow, marked with sparse yellow spots. The male has a broad scented androconial dark line across the top of the forewings. On the hindwings of the females there are brighter square marks. When the wings are opened, the forewings are obliquely folded, masking the hindwings. The faint chequered pattern on both the upperside and underside, and also the hook-shaped antenna tips, help to distinguish the large skipper from these two orange skippers. The Lulworth skipper also has patterned wings, but does not have the hooked antennae. The caterpillar can reach a length of 28 millimetres (1.1 in). It has a large blackish-brown head and a bluish green body, with a dark line down its back and a yellow stripe along each side.

Small and colorful, small tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) is the national butterfly of Denmark. However, it is capable of surviving anywhere the common nettle leaf may be found, which the larvae of this species depend on. Once among the most common butterflies in Europe and temperate Asia, this species is experiencing rapid declines for reasons still being investigated.

The brown-ocher or ocher yellow brown-throated pterois (Thymelicus sylvestris) is a butterfly of the family of the thick-headed (Hesperiidae).

The silver, comma-shaped marked on the butterfly’s wings give it the common name the Comma. It is a common butterfly in southern Britain that was once on the verge of extinction in the 1930s. The butterflies are often found at the edge of forests, close to meadows with plenty of nectar-rich wildflowers.

The upperside forewings are a bright orange with a dark outside edge border and with eight or nine black spots. The hindwings are dark with an orange border. Some females also have a row of blue spots inside the orange border and are known as form caeruleopunctata. The undersides are patterned in a similar way but are paler. The black spots on the forewings are outlined in yellow and the dark colouring is replaced by a pale brownish grey. The hindwings are the same brown/grey colour with small black dots and a narrow orange border. The caterpillars (larvae) are usually green, but some have a purple stripe down the middle of the back and along each side.

The silver-washed fritillary (Argynnis paphia) is a beautiful, orange butterfly that is covered in black spots. It earns the "silver-washed" portion of its name through silver streaks you can find running along with it. It produces a scent using "scales" that allows it to distinguish itself when females are trying to locate it.

Lysandra coridon has a wingspan of 30–36 millimetres (1.2–1.4 in). These small butterflies present a sexual dimorphism. The males having pale silvery-blue upperside of the wings with a submarginal line of grey spots on the hindwings and a thin brown and white chequered fringe. Females have dark brown upperside of wings, with marginal orange spots and also with chequered fringes. The underside of the wings show a light ochre colouration, several dark spots surrounded by white, a submarginal line of black marks, a series of marginal orange spots on the hindwings and a blue dusting near the body. As with many blue butterflies, separation from similar species in the field is on the underside markings. Aberrations are common.