Small Heath

Scientific Name - Coenonympha pamphilus

Flight Period - April to September

Overwinters as - Larva

Habitat - Grasslands, woodlands

Larval foodplants - Bents, Fescues, Meadow-grasses etc.

Conservation status - Severe long-term national decline, Section 41 NERC species of principle importance, UK BAP priority species, BC Priority high

Northamptonshire distribution - Widespread localised populations

Best public sites to see them - Brackmills Wood Country Park, Bradlaugh Fields, Fermyn Country Park, Fineshade Woods, Old Sulehey and Ring Haw, Twywell Hills and Dales

Although the Small Heath lives in small, localised populations these colonies do tend to be quite widespread around the county. Each year new colonies are found, often in the wider countryside. The Small Heath is primarily a grassland butterfly, but it can also be recorded in woodlands, particularly in Fineshade Wood. This is a small and active butterfly which is more often than not encountered first in flight. The best sites to see Small Heaths in Northamptonshire are Brackmills Woods Country Park, Bradlaugh Fields, Fermyn Country Park, Fineshade Woods, Old Sulehay and Ring Haw and Twywell Hills and Dales. For more details on how to identify the commoner Browns please click here.

Small Heath Distribution 2018 - 2022

Small Heath

Small Heath