Every Irish butterfly is assessed under the Butterfly Conservation Ireland Red List. The Marsh Fritillary is protected under Annex II of the EU Habitats Directive. Several formerly widespread species have declined since the 1990s; a smaller group has recovered or extended its range in the same period.
The Marsh Fritillary
Ireland’s flagship EU Habitats Directive species. Colonies at Sheskinmore, the Burren, and scattered western sites depend on Devil’s-bit Scabious growing in short, unimproved wet grassland. NPWS Article 17 reporting tracks colony extent every six years.
Declining species
Wall Brown, Small Heath, Large Heath. Range contraction is well documented in Ireland since the Millennium Atlas.
Recovering or extending species
Comma has colonised southern Ireland since 2000. Speckled Wood expanded in tandem with hedgerow scrub. Holly Blue is now widespread across Leinster gardens.
Recorded in 22 of 26 Irish counties in the National Biodiversity Data Centre atlas, with the strongest concentrations in Munster and eastern Leinster. Numbers dropped through the 2010s and partially recovered from 2019 onward.1
Source: National Biodiversity Data Centre butterfly atlas 2014 to 2019, and Butterfly Conservation Ireland annual review 2024.
Every sighting counts
Butterfly Conservation Ireland and the National Biodiversity Data Centre track changes in Irish butterfly populations through recorder submissions. Add a sighting, and a named contributor will verify it within seven days.