THE winged, fairy-like form of the butterfly has long been used to symbolise ethereal concepts – the ancient Greek word for butterfly is psȳchē, which means soul, and the Aztecs believed deceased loved ones would visit as beautiful butterflies to assure them that all was well in the afterlife.

To this day butterflies bring us joy and inspiration, and seeing them bobbing gracefully through the air is something we look forward to year on year.

There are 46 different species in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, and July is the perfect time to discover them – here are some you may find locally.

Red Admiral

The velvety black wings, intense orange stripes and white spots that define this characterful butterfly make it impossible to miss.

Red admiral butterflies migrate to the UK all the way from North Africa and Europe to breed, and from July onwards there is a wonderful emergence of fresh butterflies. You can tempt them into your garden with buddleias, flowering ivy and rotting fruit.

Common Blue

Common blues are variable in appearance, ranging in colour from striking powder blue to almost fully brown. However, they all have a string of orange spots around the top edge of their underwings, making them easy to identify.

Common blues are the most widespread blue butterfly in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight - there are typically two generations of common blues in a year, but if the weather is warm, there can be up to three broods over the spring and summer!

Marbled White

The marbled white is a striking black and white butterfly, with distinctive chequered markings. Marbled whites are on the wing from June to August, and show a marked preference for purple flowers – wild marjoram, field scabious, thistles, and knapweeds are particular favourites.

St Catherine’s Hill in Winchester is a great place to see marbled whites, and a host of other varieties; over 25 different species breed there.

Meadow Brown

Just as the name suggests, meadow brown butterflies are mostly brown in colour and are often found in meadows.

They have two small, dark rings, one on each upperwing, with an attractive smattering of orange around each. The meadow brown is abundant in many habitats, and these sociable butterflies can be seen flying together in their hundreds.

Comma

This orange and brown butterfly gets its name from the comma-shaped white spots on the underside of its wings.

The comma has distinctively ragged wing edges, which help to camouflage it – at rest, it looks just like a dead leaf! This butterfly prefers woodland edges, but can be spotted feeding on fallen fruit in gardens. If you’re hoping to spot a comma butterfly, Blashford Lakes nature reserve near Ringwood is a good place to start.