This is a female Aglais urticae butterfly from the Nymphalids family. Commonly known as 'The Small Tortoiseshell'; It is one of the most successful butterflies in the UK, however, their numbers are always fluctuating, so they need our love and protection just like any other butterfly species.

To attract these butterflies to your garden one needs to provide hibernation sites (such as wood piles or hollowed trees) and food. Adults feed on a wide variety of plants found in the UK countryside such as Taraxacum spp. and Urtica dioica, however, planting more ornamental plants such as Hederal helix, Primula vulgaris, Thymus polytrichus and Erica spp. will integrate nicely into any garden design!

I personally love the blue outline of the wings and its this outline that distinguishes a male from a female. A male has a more jagged margin with a thinner blue lining.

See more native butterflies here; Vanessa atalanta butterfly, Vanessa cardui butterfly