Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus)

Family: Nymphalidae Checklist: 59.005

 
Description
Wing span: 28-34 mm. The Small Heath never rests with its wings open. Instead, it angles its whole body and wings to get maximum benefit from the sun. It never flies more than two or three feet above the ground. The sexes are similar. It is found throughout the British Isles. It occurs on grassland where there are fine grasses, especially in dry well-drained situations where the sward is short and sparse. The largest colonies occur on downland, heathland, and coastal dunes. Smaller populations occur in many other locations including roadside verges, waste ground, woodland rides and glades, moorland, and parkland.
 
Images (click to enlarge)
Small Heath ♂ underside © David Hastings
Small Heath ♀ underside © David Hastings
Male underside Female underside
 
Life Cycle
There are two broods per year, with peak flight periods in May/June and August. The larva is the over-wintering stage.
 
Larval Foodplants
The main larval food plants are Bents (Agrostis spp.), Fescues (Festuca spp.) and Meadow-grasses (Poa spp.).
 
Nectar Sources
Adults feed primarily on Bramble, Buttercups, Devil's-bit Scabious, Fleabane, Greater Stitchwort, Kidney Vetch, Ragwort, Tormentil and Yarrow.
 
UK Conservation Status
Vulnerable
 
Earliest UTB first sighting (since 2004) : 13th April
Mean UTB first sighting (since 2004) : 30th April
 
 
Distribution and Sites
 

Key
1 sighting 2-9 max seen 10+ max seen
This species is a habitat generalist, so can be found almost anywhere in the UTB region.

 
Related Species
All Species