Brimstone Butterfly

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Insect 🦋
🦋
Gonepteryx rhamni
Size52–60 mm wingspan About the width of a matchbox
Weight0.2 g Virtually weightless
Lifespan12–13 months — one of the longest-lived British butterflies
RarityCommon
M vs FMales are vivid sulphur yellow; females are pale greenish-white — the leaf-like wing shape is identical
HabitatWoodland edges, scrub, gardens — wherever Buckthorn and Alder Buckthorn grow
Best timeFebruary–October; one of the first to emerge in late winter
ConservationUK: Green LC
Did you know?
The word 'butterfly' may derive from the Brimstone — a bright yellow 'butter-coloured fly' that was one of the most noticed of the early emerging species in spring
More for experts
When resting with wings closed the Brimstone is virtually undetectable — the leaf-shaped wings with prominent veins make it a near-perfect leaf mimic
Often confused with
Large White (black-tipped wings, white), Clouded Yellow (orange-yellow, faster flight — rarer migrant)