UK Butterflies

Building a Community of Responsible Butterfly Enthusiasts in Britain & Ireland

Larval Instars

This page contains information on the larval instars of each species. Where the overwintering stage is shown as "None", it is implied that the species is continuously brooded outside of Britain and Ireland. Frohawk (1924) has been a key resource in compiling this information.

Name No. Instars Overwintering Stage Overwintering Instar
Adonis Blue5Larva1, 2 or 3
American Painted Lady5
Apollo0
Arran Brown0
Bath White5Pupa
Berger's Clouded Yellow5LarvaVarious
Black Hairstreak4Ovum
Black-veined White5Larva3
Brimstone5Imago
Brown Argus5Larva2 or 3
Brown Hairstreak4Ovum
Camberwell Beauty5Imago
Chalk Hill Blue5Ovum
Chequered Skipper5Larva5
Cleopatra0
Clouded Yellow5LarvaVarious
Comma5Imago
Common Blue5Larva3
Cryptic Wood White4 or 5Pupa
Dappled White0
Dark Green Fritillary6Larva1
Dingy Skipper5Larva5
Duke of Burgundy4Pupa
Essex Skipper5Ovum
European Map0
Gatekeeper5Larva2
Glanville Fritillary7Larva5
Grayling5Larva3
Green Hairstreak4pupa
Green-veined White5Pupa
Grizzled Skipper5Pupa
Heath Fritillary7Larva4
High Brown Fritillary6Ovum
Holly Blue4Pupa
Lang's Short-tailed Blue0
Large Blue4Larva4
Large Chequered Skipper5Larva
Large Copper4Larva2
Large Heath5Larva3
Large Skipper7Larva5
Large Tortoiseshell5Imago
Large White5Pupa
Long-tailed Blue4None
Lulworth Skipper5Larva1
Marbled White4Larva1
Marsh Fritillary6Larva4
Mazarine Blue5Larva3
Meadow Brown6Larva2, 3 or 4
Mediterranean Fritillary0
Monarch5Imago
Mountain Ringlet6Larva4
Northern Brown Argus5Larva2 or 3
Orange-tip5Pupa
Painted Lady5None
Pale Clouded Yellow6Larva3
Peacock5Imago
Pearl-bordered Fritillary5Larva4
Purple Emperor5Larva3
Purple Hairstreak4Ovum
Queen of Spain Fritillary5Any
Red Admiral5LarvaVarious
Ringlet5Larva3
Scarce Swallowtail0
Scarce Tortoiseshell5Imago
Scotch Argus4Larva1 or 2
Short-tailed Blue4Larva3
Silver-spotted Skipper5Ovum
Silver-studded Blue4Ovum
Silver-washed Fritillary5Larva1
Small Blue4Larva4
Small Copper5Larva3 or 4
Small Heath5Larva4
Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary5Larva3 or 4
Small Skipper5Larva1
Small Tortoiseshell5Imago
Small White5Pupa
Speckled Wood4Larva or Pupa3
Spotted Fritillary0
Swallowtail5Pupa
Wall4Larva3
White Admiral5Larva3
White-letter Hairstreak4Ovum
Wood White4 or 5Pupa