Butterflies 2025 and beyond

2025 gave me 10 new species and was the year when I finally saw the northern specialities close to the cabin in Bodø that I have been hoping to see since 2019.

The northern specialities were:

Lapland Fritillary (idun’s rutevinge) 

Arctic Blue (polarblåvinge) 

Frejya’s Fritillary (frøyas perlemorvinge) 

Away from specific trips/stops added three rare species:

 

Large Grizzled Skipper (alvesmyger)

Silvery Argus (kileblåvinge)

Chequered Skipper (gulflekksmyger) 

whilst closer to Oslo I finally got to grips with 3 species I could have seen much earlier had I just made the effort:

 Scarce Heath (heroringvinge) 

False Heath Fritillary (mørk rutevinge) 

Meadow Brown (rappringvinge) 

Finally my first butterfly twitch gave me a vary rare vagrant Clouded Yellow (vandregulvinge)

The Bodø mountains also gave me the other northern specialities that  I have previously seen and I had all three of the resident Clouded Yellow Species at the same mountain locality which in itself is I imagine a unique experience but with the “normal” Clouded Yellow I saw later in the year I definitely became the only person to see all four species in the same year in Norway and who knows maybe Scandinavia.

This photo of Violet Copper (fiolett gullvinge) made me very happy as for the first time the violet colour was really obvious

I have now seen 82 of the 101 species recorded in Norway (or at least those in Artsobservasjoner) and saw 74 of these in 2025. With Jr now studying in Tromsø I can hope that visits to her in June/July will allow me to add some of those northern species that don’t occur as “far” south as Bodø but even with Tromsø as a base I will have many hours drive and walking to get to most of these species. BUT, it looks like there are enormous areas of mountain that have never been visited by someone who any interest in butterflies so there may well be opportunities to discover new species in new places.

Here are the 19 species I am missing and where I intend to see them (this is for my own planning purposes but anyone who wants to join me in the search is welcome to contact me)

 

1.      Essex Skipper (timoteismyger) - a trip around one hour south or east of Oslo in July should easily give this species

2.      Reverdin’s Blue (lakrismjeltblåvinge) – this species occurred on islands close to Fornebu but was last seen in 2014 so that looks like an impossible species and a huge blocker for the older crowd who saw it (and in many cases collected it…)

3.      Chequered Blue (klippeblåvine) - occurs only around Halden, an hour and a half drive away - where it is very local but is also being reintroduced. It is an early flier so I will need to visit in the middle of May or earlier if it is an early spring.

4.      Niobe Fritillary (niobeperlemorvinge) – not recorded since 1997 although with its similarity to High Brown Fritillary and the variety of places with historical records there may be a chance it is rediscovered.

5.      Arctic Fritillary (arktisk perlemorvinge) – a trip is needed to Alta at the beginning of July although as there is one site where everyone goes to see this species it wouldn’t surprise me if they can be found elsewhere. There is for example a record close to Oslo although there is no photo so who knows if its good or not,

6.      Bog Fritillary (ringperlemorvinge) – a not too scarce species this species can be found within an hour of Oslo but should be easier to find in Hedmark along with Lapland Ringlet in the Osen area in the middle of June

7.      Dusky-winged Fritillary (Dvergperlemorvinge) – a super rare species that I will use Tromsø as base to see in the first half of July.

8.      Polar Fritillary (polarperlemorvinge) – has a very similar range and flying time to Arctic Fritillary so will be searched for at the same time.

9.      Map Butterfly (kartvinge) – only 6 records in Norway but 5 of these are in the last two years and all are in the far north with Finland the likely source of an expanding species. All have been first generation in the first half of July. So it will be pure luck to see one but in a decade or so they might be established including in the south where the species is expanding north in southern Sweden.

10. Glanville Fritillary (prikkrutevinge) – now only occurs now on a military island of Rauer with other populations last recorded in 2009. Access to the public is as far as I know not possible for civilians. The beginning of June is the time to see them.

11. Yellow-legged Tortoiseshell (seljesommerfugl) – a rare vagrant which did occur widely in April 2014 but since there have been 4 records although one in Oslo on 15 April 2022 does show that I need to be have it on my mind when out early in the year and check all Small Tortoiseshells I see.

12. Arctic Ringlet (disaringvinge) – a trip to Alta is again the place but for this species end of June/beginning of Juy is the time. There is a recently discovered population close to Tromsø though which I will look for (and already did half heartedly in 2025) if I have a chance.

13. Lapland Ringlet (emblaringvinge) – a trip to either Osen or the south end of Femund around mid June should do the trick or if I am birding in Pasvik then I should also see it

14. Arctic Woodland Ringlet (polarringvinge) – also an Alta species but does seem to be fairly widespread in all of Finnmark. A recently discovered population closer to Tromsø could be visited in conjunction with Dusky-winged Fritillary. End of June to mid July.

15. Rock Grayling (svabergringvinge) – a southern European species with a relict population a couple of places in southern Norway. A 3 hour drive to Treungen in the middle of July should do the trick.

16. Arctic Grayling (tundraringvinge) – another Alta species at end of June/beginning of July.

17. Clouded Apollo (mnemosynesommerfugl) – only known from a handful of sites in the west of Norway but a population discovered as recently as 2017 in Vinje, Telemark is only around a 3 hour drive away. Flies from Mid May into July with a visit at the end of June looking to be best.

18. Cryptic (Real’s) Wood White (enghvitvinge) – a species that is currently only identifiable through genetic examination of a specimen under a microscope. It has been recorded quite a few times in south eastern Norway but I would need to be with someone far more knowledgeable than myself if I were to see one with certainty.

19. Black-veined White (hagtornsommerfugl) – there is one well known population in Lærdal which is many hours drive from Oslo but they are occasionally reported in Telemark indicating a population there too. June would be the month.