Butterflies belong to the order Lepidoptera, and there are 72 species on the British list.

At Pleasley we have so far recorded a total of 25 species, many of which are common on site and quite a few have been shown to breed here.

These include Brimstones, Dingy Skipper, Painted Lady, Clouded Yellow, Common Blue, Small Heath, White Letter Hairstreak, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Speckled Wood and Wall Brown.

Clouded Yellow by Martyn Bradley.

Speckled Wood by Martyn Bradley.

Some have very specific and in some cases it has been necessary to plant more of these in order to give the butterflies a better chance of breeding.

Common Blue by Ron Peet