Ringlet
Newly emerged ringlets look almost black with a white fringe, and they are one of the few butterflies that will still fly on overcast days.
| Where | Woodland rides, hedgerows, damp grassland |
|---|---|
| Size | 48 to 52 mm wingspan |
| When | June to August |
It is a sooty brown butterfly with small ring-shaped spots that have yellowish rings and white centres on the underwings, which give the species its name.
Caterpillars feed at night on grasses such as cock's-foot, and the adults fly with a distinctive bobbing flight from June to August, even in dull weather.
Traits
Habitat
Grassland
Colour
Brown, Black
Active
Day
To people
Harmless.
Activity through the year
Often confused with
Meadow brown has one large eyespot on the forewing and warmer orange-brown tones, while the ringlet's darker wings show small pale-ringed spots underneath instead.
Questions
Is the Ringlet dangerous to people?
The Ringlet is harmless to people.
When can you see the Ringlet?
The Ringlet can be seen from June to August, by day.
Plate retouched from a photo by Charles J. Sharp, CC BY‑SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons Licence
The plate on this page is shared under the same licence as its source, CC BY-SA.
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Butterflies and moths›Brush-footed butterflies›Aphantopus
Last updated 2026-09-26. Every entry is checked against published sources.