Butterflies of Czech Meadows and Groves: Identification Guide and Quiz

🦋 Identification quiz: Butterflies of Czech meadows and groves

Test your knowledge in our interactive quiz. Choose a difficulty level and find out how well you know the butterflies of the Czech Republic!

A guide to the most beautiful butterflies of Czechia

Around 168 species of butterflies live in the Czech Republic. We have chosen ten species you are most likely to meet in meadows, gardens and forest clearings from the Šumava to the Beskydy mountains.

Peacock butterfly – Aglais io

The peacock is undoubtedly the easiest butterfly to recognise in our countryside. Four striking eyespots – blue-violet with a yellow centre – on rusty-red wings are unmistakable. The wingspan is 50–55 mm. Females lay their eggs only on stinging nettles (Urtica dioica), which are therefore the key food plant of each generation of caterpillars.

This species overwinters as an adult hidden in dark corners of barns, cellars or hollow trees. It emerges early in spring and is one of the first butterflies you will see in Czech gardens. In the meadows of the Šumava, the Krkonoše and the South Moravian lowlands it is among the most common species.

Swallowtail – Papilio machaon

The swallowtail is one of the largest butterflies in the Czech Republic and one of the most striking. Yellow wings with black veins, a blue border and characteristic tails give it an instantly recognisable silhouette. The wingspan is 65–80 mm. The caterpillars are black with a white patch at first (imitating bird droppings) and later green with black bands and orange dots.

Its food plants are members of the carrot family – fennel, carrot, parsnip, caraway and dill. That is why the swallowtail thrives in the flowering meadows of the Elbe lowlands, in gardens with herb beds and on the slopes of the White Carpathians. If you grow herbs or want to attract this beautiful butterfly, set aside part of a bed for fennel or wild carrot. For labelling herbs and plants in the garden, wooden markers and labels from AMADEA are ideal.

Brimstone – Gonepteryx rhamni

The brimstone is a herald of spring – it overwinters as an adult and is one of the very first butterflies to emerge, often as early as February or March. Males are sulphur yellow, while females are whitish green and are easily mistaken for whites. The wings are shaped like a leaf – rounded with a pointed tip.

The only food plants of the caterpillars are purging buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) and alder buckthorn (Frangula alnus), so the butterfly is tied to places where these shrubs grow – forest edges, hedgerows and groves at middle altitudes from Bohemia to Moravia.

Red admiral – Vanessa atalanta

The red admiral is an elegant migrant – part of our population migrates every year from the Mediterranean, while some overwinter in Czechia itself. Its black wings with striking red bands and white spots evoke a naval officer's uniform, hence its name. The wingspan is 55–65 mm.

The caterpillars feed on nettles; the adults prefer overripe fruit, tree sap and, in summer, the nectar of various plants. The red admiral is a very mobile butterfly and covers thousands of kilometres on migration. You will meet it from the Elbe lowlands to the mountain meadows of the Jeseníky and Krkonoše.

Common blue – Polyommatus icarus

The common blue is the most widespread member of the blues family (Lycaenidae) in the Czech Republic. The male is deep blue with a fine black border; the female is brown with orange crescents along the wing edges. The underside of the wings is grey-brown with typical dark dots and orange spots. It is a small butterfly – the wingspan is only 25–35 mm.

The caterpillars feed on red clover, bird's-foot trefoil and various other legumes. The common blue lives in meadows, field margins, gardens and forest edges from the lowlands up to mountain altitudes. It flies in two to three generations from April to October.

Silver-washed fritillary – Argynnis paphia

The silver-washed fritillary is the largest fritillary in Central Europe and one of the most conspicuous butterflies of summer forest clearings. The upperside of the wings is bright orange with a dark pattern, but the real gem is hidden on the underside of the hind wings: silvery streaks washed over a greenish background.

The caterpillars feed only on violets (Viola spp.) and overwinter as small caterpillars. Adult butterflies seek out the nectar of brambles and thistles in forest rides and on the edges of beech and mixed forests. You will meet it throughout Czechia except at the highest altitudes – favourite spots are the forest clearings of the Šumava, the Vysočina and the Moravian Karst.

Marbled white – Melanargia galathea

The marbled white is like a living chessboard. The black-and-white chequered pattern on its wings is unique and unmistakable. It belongs to the browns (Satyrinae), whose caterpillars feed on grasses. The marbled white prefers warm, dry, flowering meadows with taller grass – typically limestone slopes and forest-steppe habitats of southern and central Moravia, but also of Bohemia.

It flies in a single generation from June to August. It is a good indicator of a healthy landscape – its presence signals extensively managed or unmanaged meadows with a rich variety of plants.

Purple emperor – Apatura iris

The purple emperor is the mysterious aristocrat of Czech forests. The male's dark brown wings have an iridescent purple-blue sheen that changes with the viewing angle. This optical effect is created by the structure of the wing scales, not by pigment. The female lacks the iridescence and is larger and browner.

The caterpillars live on willows (especially sallows), and the adults do not visit flowers for nectar but feed on tree sap, rotting fruit and minerals from puddles and droppings. It lives in broadleaved and mixed forests with a rich herb layer and streams – typically the woods along rivers in Central Bohemia and South Moravia. It flies from June to August.

False heath fritillary – Melitaea diamina

The Melitaea fritillaries are a group of butterflies whose identification is among the most difficult in Czech lepidopterology. The false heath fritillary is a medium-sized butterfly (35–45 mm) with a characteristic orange-brown patchwork pattern on its wings. It is darker than related species and has conspicuous yellow and black crescents on the underside of the hind wing.

The caterpillars feed mainly on valerian and plantain. The false heath fritillary lives in damper meadows, on the edges of peat bogs and in mountain meadows – it can be found in the Krkonoše, the Šumava and the Vysočina. Its flight season runs from May to July.

Large white – Pieris brassicae

The large white is the best-known member of the whites family in the Czech Republic. White wings with a black tip to the forewing – the female adds two black dots in the middle – are a typical sign of spring and summer in every garden. It is the largest of the whites (up to 65 mm) and usually has two generations a year.

The caterpillars can damage cabbage, kale and other brassicas – which is why gardeners know it well. As a pollinator, however, it is an important part of the ecosystem. You will meet it everywhere – in gardens, meadows, town parks and even the alpine meadows of the Krkonoše. For a nature-friendly garden where whites can live in balance, we recommend AMADEA raised beds – wooden and made in Czechia.

The most common mix-ups: watch out for these look-alikes

Beginners most often confuse these pairs – the key features will help you tell them apart:

Comparison table of the most common butterflies of Czechia

Frequently asked questions about butterflies of Czech meadows