European Peacock Butterfly vs Painted Lady

The European Peacock is one of Britain's most easily recognised butterflies. It has large, bright eye-like spots on each wing. These markings look like peacock feathers, with bright blue centres surrounded by yellow, red, and black on deep maroon upper wings. The underside of the wings is dark and looks like tree bark, helping the butterfly blend in when resting. The wingspan of adults is between 63 and 69 millimetres. This butterfly is found all over the British Isles and much of temperate Europe, stretching as far as Japan. It lives in gardens, the edges of woodlands, hedgerows, and meadows full of flowers. Adults are especially attracted to buddleia, thistles, and other flowers that have a lot of nectar. Unlike most British butterflies, the European Peacock spends the winter as an adult. They hibernate in dark, sheltered places like sheds, hollow trees, and buildings. They come out on warm days in late winter.

The Painted Lady is one of the most widespread butterflies in the world. It can be told apart from other Vanessa species by its softer orange-pink colour and its detailed pattern of black and white markings. The front wings have clear white spots near black tips, while the underside shows a detailed mix of browns, whites, and small eye-like spots. Its wingspan is between 50 and 65 millimetres. It is well known as a migrant to Britain, arriving from North Africa and southern Europe in varying numbers each spring and summer. Unlike the similar Red Admiral butterfly, it does not prefer any particular habitat. It can be found in gardens, meadows, wasteland, and coastal areas. The adult butterflies feed on thistles, buddleia, and other flowers rich in nectar. They cannot survive the British winters, although there have been records of them migrating back south in the autumn.