The peacock butterfly has emerged victorious in a nationwide poll to find Britain’s favorite butterfly. With its stunning lavender, yellow, and maroon eye spots, along with its rusty red and black coloration, the peacock butterfly is a common yet spectacular sight in gardens across the British Isles.
The poll, organized by the charity Butterfly Conservationsaw over 20,000 votes cast, with the peacock butterfly beating 59 other native species to claim the top spot. The rest of the top five included the orange-tip, red admiral, holly blue, and the sulphur-yellow brimstone.
The top five butterflies in Britain
The top five butterflies in the poll are all common species that can be seen in gardens, parks, and suburbs across most of the country. The peacock butterfly, with its striking colors and eye spots, is a true showstopper and a species that many people picture when they think of butterflies.
The orange-tip butterfly, which came in second place, is known for its glowing white wings and vivid tangerine tips in the males. The red admiral, which took third place, is a long-distance migrant that travels all the way from North Africa to flutter around UK gardens each year. The holly blue, which came in fourth, is a fairy-like butterfly with powder-blue wings that have been steadily spreading northwards in recent decades. The brimstone, which rounded out the top five, is known for its sunshine-yellow wings, which may have given all butterflies their name.
The importance of the Big Butterfly Count
The peacock butterfly is expected to be the most-seen insect in this year’s Big Butterfly Countwhich takes place from 17 July to 9 August. The count is the world’s largest butterfly survey, and participants spend 15 minutes in any outdoor space counting the butterflies and day-flying moths they see before submitting their sightings via a free app or website.
The count is an important way for conservationists to monitor the health of butterfly populations and to identify any trends or changes. In 2026, Butterfly Conservation declared a butterfly emergency after numbers recorded during its Big Butterfly Count fell to their lowest ever. This year’s count carries greater urgency than ever, as conservationists hope that a surge in public participation will both improve the data picture and help galvanize support for butterfly-friendly habitats across the UK.
The painted lady butterfly’s arrival
Another butterfly expected to be seen in large numbers this summer is the painted lady, which finished 10th in the poll. The painted lady is a long-distance migrant from Africa, and its caterpillars are set to devour thousands of thistles in the next few weeks before the emergence of a British-born generation.
What is expected to be the largest arrival of painted lady butterflies in Britain for 17 years is under way after heatwaves and favourable winds ushered thousands if not millions of the insects northwards. The painted lady flies north from sub-Saharan Africa at the start of every year, and in some summers, hardly any reach British shores. However, this year’s favourable conditions have turned 2026 into a once-in-a-decade “painted lady summer”.
The painted ladies delight gardeners and farmers because their caterpillars devour a wide range of thistles. In five or six weeks, a large British-born generation of painted ladies is likely to emerge – just in time for the world’s largest citizen science insect count, which is undertaken by 100,000 volunteers every July.
