Butterflies in Russia

Over 500 species of butterflies live in Russia. Notable species seen here include the Small Tortoiseshell, the Red Admiral, and the Chequered Blue.

Butterflies in Russia

Butterflies in Russia

List of Different Butterfly Species of Russia

Brush-Footed (Nymphalidae)

  • Arctic Woodland Ringlet (Erebia polaris)
  • Asian Comma (Polygonia c-aureum)
  • Assmann’s Fritillary (Melitaea britomartis)
  • Banded Alpine (Erebia fasciata)
  • Cardinal (Argynnis pandora)
  • Chestnut Heath (Coenonympha glycerion)
  • Chestnut Tiger (Parantica sita)
  • Comma (Polygonia c-album)
  • Compton Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis vaualbum)
  • Cranberry Fritillary (Boloria aquilonaris)
  • Dark Brown (Chazara persephone)
  • Dark Green Fritillary (Speyeria aglaja)
  • Dark Rock Brown (Chazara briseis)
  • Dewy Ringlet (Erebia pandrose)
  • Disa Alpine (Erebia disa)
  • Dusky Meadow Brown (Hyponephele lycaon)
  • Esper’s Marbled White (Melanargia russiae)
  • European Nettle-tree Butterfly (Libythea celtis)
  • False Grayling (Arethusana arethusa)
  • False Heath Fritillary (Melitaea diamina)
  • False Ringlet (Coenonympha oedippus)
  • Four-dotted Alpine (Erebia youngi)
  • Freyer’s Fritillary (Melitaea arduinna)
  • Freyer’s Purple Emperor (Apatura metis)
  • Glanville Fritillary (Melitaea cinxia)
  • Grayling (Hipparchia semele)
  • Great Banded Grayling (Brintesia circe)
  • Great Sooty Satyr (Satyrus ferula)
  • Heath Fritillary (Melitaea athalia)
  • High Brown Fritillary (Fabriciana adippe)
  • Hungarian Glider (Neptis rivularis)
  • Indian Fritillary (Argynnis hyperbius)
  • Indian Red Admiral (Vanessa indica)
  • Jutta Arctic (Oeneis jutta)
  • Lapland Ringlet (Erebia embla)
  • Large Ringlet (Erebia euryale)
  • Large Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis polychloros)
  • Large Wall Brown (Lasiommata maera)
  • Lesser Marbled Fritillary (Brenthis ino)
  • Lesser Purple Emperor (Apatura ilia)
  • Lesser Spotted Frillitary (Melitaea trivia)
  • Map (Araschnia levana)
  • Marbled Fritillary (Brenthis daphne)
  • Marbled White (Melanargia galathea)
  • Marsh Fritillary (Euphydryas aurinia)
  • Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina)
  • Arran Brown (Erebia ligea)
  • Melissa Arctic (Oeneis melissa)
  • Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa)
  • Napaea Fritillary (Boloria napaea)
  • Nickerl’s Fritillary (Melitaea aurelia)
  • Niobe Fritillary (Fabriciana niobe)
  • Norse Grayling (Oeneis norna)
  • Northern Wall Brown (Lasiommata petropolitana)
  • Oriental Meadow Brown (Hipparchia syriaca)
  • Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)
  • Pallas’ Fritillary (Argynnis laodice)
  • Pallas’ Sailer (Neptis sappho)
  • Peacock Butterfly (Aglais io)
  • Pearly Heath (Coenonympha arcania)
  • Phoebe Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe)
  • Polixenes Arctic (Oeneis polixenes)
  • Poplar Admiral (Limenitis populi)
  • Purple Emperor (Apatura iris)
  • Queen of Spain Fritillary (Issoria lathonia)
  • Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
  • Red-disked Alpine (Erebia discoidalis)
  • Ringlet (Aphantopus hyperantus)
  • Ross’s Alpine (Erebia rossii)
  • Russian Heath (Coenonympha leander)
  • Scarce Fritillary (Euphydryas maturna)
  • Scarce Heath (Coenonympha hero)
  • Scotch Argus (Erebia aethiops)
  • Scree Alpine (Erebia anyuica)
  • Sentinel Arctic (Oeneis alpina)
  • Silver-washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia)
  • Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus)
  • Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae)
  • Southern Comma (Polygonia egea)
  • Southern White Admiral (Limenitis reducta)
  • Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)
  • Spotted Fritillary (Melitaea didyma)
  • Striated Ringlet (Ypthima multistriata)
  • Thalonian Emperor (Thaleropis ionia)
  • Tree Grayling (Hipparchia statilinus)
  • Tullia’s Ringlet (Coenonympha tullia)
  • Twin-spot Fritillary (Brenthis hecate)
  • Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera)
  • White Admiral (Limenitis camilla)
  • White-veined Arctic (Oeneis bore)
  • Woodland Brown (Lopinga achine)
  • Woodland Grayling (Hipparchia fagi)
  • Woodland Ringlet (Erebia medusa)
  • Yellow-dotted Alpine (Erebia pawlowskii)
  • Yellow-legged Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis xanthomelas)
  • Alaskan Fritillary (Boloria alaskensis)
  • Colorado Alpine (Erebia callias)
  • Oriental Meadow Brown (Hyponephele lupina)

Gossamer-Winged (Lycaenidae)

  • Adonis Blue (Lysandra bellargus)
  • Alcon Blue (Phengaris alcon)
  • Amanda’s Blue (Polyommatus amandus)
  • Anatolian Odd-spot Blue (Turanana endymion)
  • Balkan Pierrot (Tarucus balkanicus)
  • Baton Blue (Pseudophilotes baton)
  • Bavius Blue (Pseudophilotes bavius)
  • Black Hairstreak (Satyrium pruni)
  • Blue Argus (Aricia anteros)
  • Blue-spot Hairstreak (Satyrium spini)
  • Brown Argus (Aricia agestis)
  • Brown Hairstreak (Thecla betulae)
  • Caucasian Vernal Copper (Tomares callimachus)
  • Chalkhill Blue (Lysandra coridon)
  • Chapman’s Blue (Polyommatus thersites)
  • Cranberry Blue (Agriades optilete)
  • Damon Blue (Polyommatus damon)
  • Dorylas Blue (Polyommatus dorylas)
  • Dusky Large Blue (Phengaris nausithous)
  • Eastern Baton Blue (Pseudophilotes vicrama)
  • Eastern Brown Argus (Kretania eurypilus)
  • Eastern Short-tailed Blue (Cupido decolorata)
  • Eros Blue (Polyommatus eros)
  • European Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus)
  • Fischer’s Blue (Tongeia fischeri)
  • Forster’s Blue (Polyommatus aserbeidschanus)
  • Gavarnie Blue (Agriades pyrenaicus)
  • Geranium Argus (Eumedonia eumedon)
  • Glandon Blue (Agriades glandon)
  • Greater Large Blue (Phengaris arionides)
  • Green Hairstreak (Callophrys rubi)
  • Green-underside Blue (Glaucopsyche alexis)
  • Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus)
  • Idas Blue (Plebejus idas)
  • Ilex Hairstreak (Satyrium ilicis)
  • Lang’s Short-tailed Blue (Leptotes pirithous)
  • Large Blue (Phengaris arion)
  • Large copper (Lycaena dispar)
  • Large Hedge Blue (Celastrina ladonides)
  • Large Jewel Blue (Plebejidea loewii)
  • Lesser Fiery Copper (Lycaena thersamon)
  • Long-tailed Blue (Lampides boeticus)
  • Mazarine Blue (Cyaniris semiargus)
  • Meleager’s Blue (Polyommatus daphnis)
  • Northern Brown Argus (Aricia artaxerxes)
  • Orange Hairstreak (Shirozua jonasi)
  • Chequered Blue (Scolitantides orion)
  • Osiris Blue (Cupido osiris)
  • Provençal Short-tailed Blue (Cupido alcetas)
  • Purple-edged Copper (Lycaena hippothoe)
  • Purple-shot Copper (Lycaena alciphron)
  • Reverdin’s Blue (Plebejus argyrognomon)
  • Ripart’s Anomalous Blue (Polyommatus ripartii)
  • Scarce Copper (Lycaena virgaureae)
  • Scarce Large Blue (Phengaris teleius)
  • Short-tailed Blue (Cupido argiades)
  • Silver-studded Blue (Plebejus argus)
  • Silvery Argas (Aricia nicias)
  • Silvery Blue (Glaucopsyche lygdamus)
  • Sloe Hairstreak (Satyrium acaciae)
  • Small Blue (Cupido minimus)
  • Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas)
  • Sooty Copper (Lycaena tityrus)
  • Tien Shan Blue (Agriades pheretiades)
  • Violet Copper (Lycaena helle)
  • White-letter Hairstreak (Satyrium w-album)
  • Greek Mazarine Blue (Cyaniris bellis)
  • Zephyr Blue (Kretania pylaon)
  • False Chalkhill Blue (Lysandra corydonius)
  • South-Russian Blue (Polyommatus australorossicus)

Whites and Sulphurs (Pieridae)

  • Balkan Clouded Yellow (Colias caucasica)
  • Bath White (Pontia daplidice)
  • Berger’s Clouded Yellow (Colias alfacariensis)
  • Black-veined White (Aporia crataegi)
  • Booth’s Sulphur (Colias tyche)
  • Cabbage White (Pieris brassicae)
  • Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus)
  • Common Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni)
  • Danube Clouded Yellow (Colias myrmidone)
  • Dark Clouded Yellow (Colias fieldii)
  • Dark-veined White (Pieris bryoniae)
  • Eastern Bath White (Pontia edusa)
  • Eastern Dappled White (Euchloe ausonia)
  • Eastern Orange Tip (Anthocharis damone)
  • Eastern Pale Clouded Yellow (Colias erate)
  • Eastern Wood White (Leptidea duponcheli)
  • Fenton’s Wood White (Leptidea morsei)
  • Gray-veined White (Pieris melete)
  • Greek Clouded Butterfly (Colias aurorina)
  • Green-underside White (Anthocharis gruneri)
  • Green-veined White (Pieris napi)
  • Heath Sulphur (Colias chippewa)
  • Hecla Sulphur (Colias hecla)
  • Indian Cabbage White (Pieris canidia)
  • Labrador Sulphur (Colias nastes)
  • Lesser Bath White (Pontia chloridice)
  • Lesser Clouded Yellow (Colias chrysotheme)
  • Moorland Clouded Yellow (Colias palaeno)
  • Northern Marble (Euchloe creusa)
  • Orange Tip (Anthocharis cardamines)
  • Pale Clouded Yellow (Colias hyale)
  • Peak White (Pontia callidice)
  • Réal’s Wood White (Leptidea reali)
  • Small White (Pieris rapae)
  • Sooty Orange Tip (Zegris eupheme)
  • Wood White (Leptidea sinapis)
  • Yellow Tip (Anthocharis scolymus)

Metalmark (Riodinidae)

  • Duke of Burgundy (Hamearis lucina)

Swallowtail (Papilionidae) 

  • Apollo (Parnassius apollo)
  • Asian Swallowtail (Papilio xuthus)
  • Chinese Windmill (Atrophaneura alcinous)
  • Clouded Apollo (Parnassius mnemosyne)
  • Dragon Swallowtail (Sericinus montela)
  • Eversmann’s Parnassian (Parnassius eversmanni)
  • Felderi’s Apollo (Parnassius felderi)
  • Old World Swallowtail (Papilio machaon)
  • Phoebus Apollo (Parnassius phoebus)
  • Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides podalirius)
  • Southern Festoon (Zerynthia polyxena)
  • Siberian Apollo (Parnassius arcticus)

Skipper (Hesperiidae)

  • Aegean Skipper (Pyrgus melotis)
  • Alpine Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus andromedae)
  • Caucasian Skipper (Pyrgus jupei)
  • Chequered Skipper (Carterocephalus palaemon)
  • Common Straight Swift (Parnara guttatus)
  • Dingy Skipper (Erynnis tages)
  • European Skipper (Thymelicus lineola)
  • Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus malvae)
  • Hungaria Skipper (Spialia orbifer)
  • Large Chequered Skipper (Heteropterus morpheus)
  • Large Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus alveus)
  • Large Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanus)
  • Levantine Skipper (Thymelicus hyrax)
  • Lulworth Skipper (Thymelicus acteon)
  • Mallow Skipper (Carcharodus alceae)
  • Marbled Skipper (Carcharodus lavatherae)
  • Northern Chequered Skipper (Carterocephalus silvicola)
  • Northern Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus centaureae)
  • Oberthür’s Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus armoricanus)
  • Olive Skipper (Pyrgus serratulae)
  • Oriental Skipper (Carcharodus orientalis)
  • Safflower Skipper (Pyrgus carthami)
  • Sage Skipper (Muschampia proto)
  • Sandy-grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus cinarae)
  • Silver-spotted Skipper (Hesperia comma)
  • Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris)
  • Spinose Skipper (Muschampia cribrellum)
  • Tessellated Skipper (Muschampia tessellum)
  • Tufted Marbled Skipper (Carcharodus flocciferus)
  • Yellow-banded Skipper (Pyrgus sidae)

One of the best places to see butterflies in Russia is the butterfly house in Moscow.