Foodplants

This page lists the foodplants used by British butterflies. The name of each foodplant is a link to www.bioimages.org.uk. An indication of whether the foodplant is a primary or secondary food source is also given.

Common Name	Scientific Name	Primary Foodplant For	Secondary Foodplant For
Agrimony	Agrimonia eupatoria	Grizzled Skipper
Alder Buckthorn	Frangula alnus	Brimstone
Aspen	Populus tremula		Large Tortoiseshell
Barren Strawberry	Potentilla sterilis		Grizzled Skipper
Bell Heather	Erica cinerea	Silver-studded Blue
Bents (various)	Agrostis spp.	Gatekeeper Meadow Brown Small Heath Wall
Bilberry	Vaccinium myrtillus	Green Hairstreak
Birches (various)	Populus spp.		Large Tortoiseshell
Bitter Vetch	Lathyrus linifolius	Réal's Wood White Wood White
Black Medick	Medicago lupulina		Common Blue
Blackthorn	Prunus spinosa	Black Hairstreak Black-veined White Brown Hairstreak Scarce Swallowtail
Bladder-senna	Colutea arborescens	Long-tailed Blue
Blue Moor-grass	Sesleria caerulea	Scotch Argus
Bramble	Rubus fruticosus		Green Hairstreak Grizzled Skipper Holly Blue
Bristle Bent	Agrostis curtisii	Grayling
Broad-leaved Dock	Rumex obtusifolius		Small Copper
Broad-leaved Everlasting-pea	Lathyrus latifolius	Long-tailed Blue
Broom	Cytisus scoparius	Green Hairstreak Long-tailed Blue
Buckthorn	Rhamnus cathartica	Brimstone	Green Hairstreak
Bullace	Prunus domestica	Scarce Swallowtail	Brown Hairstreak
Charlock	Sinapis arvensis	Green-veined White	Orange-tip Small White
Cherry	Cerasus spp.	Scarce Swallowtail
Clovers (various)	Trifolium spp.	Clouded Yellow Pale Clouded Yellow
Cock's-foot	Dactylis glomerata	Essex Skipper Large Skipper Meadow Brown Ringlet Speckled Wood Wall	Small Skipper
Common Bird's-foot-trefoil	Lotus corniculatus	Common Blue Dingy Skipper Green Hairstreak Réal's Wood White Short-tailed Blue Silver-studded Blue Wood White	Clouded Yellow
Common Cottongrass	Eriophorum angustifolium		Large Heath
Common Couch	Elytrigia repens	Ringlet Speckled Wood	Essex Skipper Gatekeeper
Common Cow-wheat	Melampyrum pratense	Heath Fritillary
Common Dog-violet	Viola riviniana	Dark Green Fritillary High Brown Fritillary Pearl-bordered Fritillary Silver-washed Fritillary Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary
Common Nettle	Urtica dioica	Comma Map Peacock Red Admiral Small Tortoiseshell	Painted Lady
Common Reed	Phragmites australis		Large Chequered Skipper
Common Restharrow	Ononis repens		Common Blue
Common Rock-rose	Helianthemum nummularium	Brown Argus Green Hairstreak Northern Brown Argus Silver-studded Blue
Common Sorrel	Rumex acetosa	Small Copper
Common Stork's-bill	Erodium cicutarium		Brown Argus
Cowslip	Primula veris	Duke of Burgundy
Crack-willow	Salix fragilis		Purple Emperor
Creeping Cinquefoil	Potentilla reptans	Grizzled Skipper
Creeping Soft-grass	Holcus mollis		Essex Skipper Small Skipper
Cross-leaved Heath	Erica tetralix	Silver-studded Blue	Green Hairstreak
Crucifers (various)	Cruciferae family (various)	Bath White Large White Small White	Green-veined White
Cuckooflower	Cardamine pratensis	Green-veined White Orange-tip
Currants (various)	Ribes spp.		Comma
Devil's-bit Scabious	Succisa pratensis	Marsh Fritillary
Dog-rose	Rosa canina		Grizzled Skipper
Dogwood	Cornus sanguinea		Green Hairstreak
Dogwoods (various)	Cornus spp.		Holly Blue
Dove's-foot Crane's-bill	Geranium molle		Brown Argus
Downy Oat-grass	Helictotrichon pubescens	Meadow Brown
Dyer's Greenweed	Genista tinctoria	Green Hairstreak
Early Hair-grass	Aira praecox	Grayling
Elms (various)	Ulmus spp.	Camberwell Beauty Large Tortoiseshell	Comma
English Elm	Ulmus procera	White-letter Hairstreak
Evergreen Oak	Quercus ilex		Purple Hairstreak
False Brome	Brachypodium sylvaticum	Meadow Brown Ringlet Speckled Wood Wall	Essex Skipper Large Chequered Skipper Large Skipper Small Skipper
False Oxlip	Primula veris x vulgaris		Duke of Burgundy
Fescues (various)	Festuca spp.	Gatekeeper Meadow Brown Small Heath
Field Pansy	Viola arvensis	Queen of Spain Fritillary
Field Scabious	Knautia arvensis		Marsh Fritillary
Foxglove	Digitalis purpurea		Heath Fritillary
Garlic Mustard	Alliaria petiolata	Green-veined White Orange-tip	Small White
Geraniums (various)	Geranium spp.	Geranium Bronze
Germander Speedwell	Veronica chamaedrys	Heath Fritillary
Goat Willow	Salix caprea	Purple Emperor
Gorse	Ulex europeaus	Green Hairstreak Silver-studded Blue
Gorses (various)	Ulex spp.		Holly Blue
Grasses (various)	Gramineae spp.	Arran Brown
Greater Bird's-foot-trefoil	Lotus pedunculatus	Réal's Wood White Wood White	Common Blue Dingy Skipper
Grey Willow	Salix cinerea		Purple Emperor
Hairy Rock-cress	Arabis hirsuta		Orange-tip
Hairy Violet	Viola hirta	Dark Green Fritillary High Brown Fritillary
Hare's-tail Cottongrass	Eriophorum vaginatum	Large Heath
Hawthorns (various)	Crataegus spp.	Black-veined White
Heath Dog-violet	Viola canina		High Brown Fritillary Pearl-bordered Fritillary
Heather	Calluna vulgaris	Silver-studded Blue
Hedge Mustard	Sisymbrium officinale	Green-veined White	Bath White Orange-tip Small White
Hoary Cress	Lepidium draba		Small White
Holly	Ilex aquifolium	Holly Blue
Honeysuckle	Lonicera periclymenum	White Admiral
Hop	Humulus lupulus		Comma Peacock Red Admiral
Horseshoe Vetch	Hippocrepis comosa	Adonis Blue Berger's Clouded Yellow Chalkhill Blue Silver-studded Blue	Dingy Skipper
Ivy	Hedera helix	Holly Blue
Jointed Rush	Juncus articulatus		Large Heath
Kidney Vetch	Anthyllis vulneraria	Small Blue
Large Bitter-cress	Cardamine amara	Green-veined White	Orange-tip
Lesser Trefoil	Trifolium dubium		Common Blue
Lucerne	Medicago sativa	Clouded Yellow Pale Clouded Yellow Short-tailed Blue
Mallows (various)	Malva spp.		Painted Lady
Mange-tout pea	Pisum sativum		Long-tailed Blue
Marram	Ammophila arenaria		Grayling
Marsh Violet	Viola palustris	Dark Green Fritillary Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary	Pearl-bordered Fritillary
Mat-grass	Nardus stricta	Mountain Ringlet
Meadow Foxtail	Alopecurus pratensis		Essex Skipper Small Skipper
Meadow Vetchling	Lathyrus pratensis	Réal's Wood White Wood White
Meadow-grasses (various)	Poa spp.	Gatekeeper Meadow Brown Ringlet Small Heath
Mignonettes (various)	Reseda spp.	Bath White
Milk-parsley	Peucedanum palustre	Swallowtail
Milkweeds (various)	Asclepias spp.	Monarch
Narrow-leaved Everlasting-pea	Lathyrus sylvestris	Long-tailed Blue
Nasturtium	Tropaeolum majus	Small White	Green-veined White Large White
Pale Dog-violet	Viola lactea		High Brown Fritillary
Pedunculate Oak	Quercus robur	Purple Hairstreak
Pelargoniums (various)	Pelargonium spp.	Geranium Bronze
Pellitory-of-the-wall	Parietaria judaica		Red Admiral
Poplars (various)	Populus spp.	Camberwell Beauty	Large Tortoiseshell
Primrose	Primula vulgaris	Duke of Burgundy
Purple Moor-grass	Molinia caerulea	Chequered Skipper Large Chequered Skipper Scotch Argus	Large Skipper
Purple Small-reed	Calamagrostis canescens		Large Chequered Skipper
Red Clover	Trifolium pratense	Mazarine Blue Short-tailed Blue
Red Fescue	Festuca rubra	Grayling Marbled White
Ribwort Plantain	Plantago lanceolata	Glanville Fritillary Heath Fritillary
Salad Burnet	Sanguisorba minor		Grizzled Skipper
Sea Radish	Raphanus raphanistrum		Bath White
Sessile Oak	Quercus petraea	Purple Hairstreak
Sheep's Sorrel	Rumex acetosella	Small Copper
Sheep's-fescue	Festuca ovina	Grayling Marbled White Silver-spotted Skipper
Small Nettle	Urtica urens	Map Small Tortoiseshell	Peacock Red Admiral
Small Scabious	Scabiosa columbaria		Marsh Fritillary
Small-leaved Elm	Ulmus minor	White-letter Hairstreak
Snowberries (various)	Symphoricarpos spp.		Holly Blue
Spindle	Euonymus europaeus		Holly Blue
Stonecrop	Sedum spp.	Apollo
Thistles (various)	Cirsium spp. and Carduus spp.	American Painted Lady Painted Lady
Timothy	Phleum pratense		Essex Skipper Small Skipper
Tor-grass	Brachypodium pinnatum	Lulworth Skipper Marbled White Wall	Essex Skipper Large Skipper
Tormentil	Potentilla erecta		Grizzled Skipper
Tufted Hair-grass	Deschampsia cespitosa	Ringlet	Grayling
Tufted Vetch	Vicia cracca	Réal's Wood White Short-tailed Blue Wood White
Turkey Oak	Quercus cerris	Purple Hairstreak
Turnip	Brassica rapa		Orange-tip
Viper's-bugloss	Echium vulgare		Painted Lady
Water Dock	Rumex hydrolapathum	Large Copper
Water-cress	Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum	Green-veined White
Wavy Hair-grass	Deschampsia flexuosa	Wall
White Clover	Trifolium repens		Common Blue
Wild Cabbage	Brassica oleracea	Green-veined White	Small White
Wild Marjoram	Origanum vulgare		Large Blue
Wild Mignonette	Reseda lutea		Bath White Large White Small White
Wild Pansy	Viola tricolor	Queen of Spain Fritillary
Wild Plum	Prunus domestica	Scarce Swallowtail	Black Hairstreak
Wild Radish	Raphanus raphanistrum	Green-veined White
Wild Strawberry	Fragaria vesca	Grizzled Skipper
Wild Thyme	Thymus polytrichus	Large Blue
Willows (various)	Salix spp.	Camberwell Beauty	Comma Large Tortoiseshell
Winter-cress	Barbarea vulgaris		Orange-tip
Wood Avens	Geum urbanum		Grizzled Skipper
Wood Small-reed	Calamagrostis epigejoss		Large Skipper
Wych Elm	Ulmus glabra	White-letter Hairstreak
Yorkshire-fog	Holcus lanatus	Marbled White Small Skipper Speckled Wood Wall