How many butterfly species are found in Sweden?

Around 120 species of day-flying Rhopalocera have been recorded in Sweden. The fauna reflects the country's exceptional latitudinal range: Skåne in the south, at roughly the same latitude as Edinburgh, supports a diverse Central European community including species such as the Duke of Burgundy and white-letter hairstreak. Lapland, above the Arctic Circle, has fewer than 40 regularly occurring species, but among them are genuine High Arctic specialists — Arctic fritillary (Boloria chariclea), Moorland clouded yellow (Colias hecla), and Lapland ringlet (Erebia embla) — that are absent from all but a handful of other European countries.

When is the best time to see butterflies in Sweden?

In southern Sweden (Skåne and Götaland) the main season runs from late April to early September, with the peak in June and July. In central Sweden (Svealand) the peak is June to mid-August. In the northern fell (Lapland) almost all species are confined to a brief window from mid-June to late July, coinciding with the midnight sun. Overwintering adults — brimstone, small tortoiseshell, and Camberwell beauty — can appear on warm days as early as March in the south. For maximum species richness, early July in the mixed-forest zone of central Sweden is hard to beat.

What makes Swedish butterflies distinctive compared to the rest of Scandinavia?

Sweden spans a greater range of habitats than Norway or Finland taken individually: warm calcareous limestone grasslands in Öland and Gotland (the Baltic islands) hold Mediterranean-fringe species, while the Lapland fell holds High Arctic fauna. The limestone islands of Öland and Gotland are particularly notable — they support the densest populations of the Cranberry fritillary (Boloria aquilonaris) and several rare blues at their northeastern limit. Sweden also has one of the strongest European populations of the poplar admiral (Limenitis populi), a species that has declined sharply in western Europe but remains common in Swedish deciduous forest.

Butterfly Atlas

Butterflies of Sweden

~2 min

Sweden records around 120 butterfly species. Its long north–south extent spans Central European fauna in the south to true Arctic specialists in Lapland.

Overview

Sweden stretches nearly 1,600 km from latitude 55°N in Skåne to 69°N in Lapland, covering boreal taiga, deciduous forests, limestone islands, mountain fell, and Arctic tundra within a single country. This range of biomes produces a butterfly fauna that is modest in total species count — roughly 120 species — but exceptional in its ecological diversity.

The country divides naturally into three butterfly zones: the southern deciduous region, the boreal forest belt, and the montane and Arctic north.

Key regions

Skåne and the south

The southernmost province, Skåne, has the warmest climate and the most Central European butterfly fauna. Beech woods, warm calcareous grasslands, and ponds support species at or near their northern range limits:

White-letter hairstreak (Satyrium w-album) — elm woodland edges
Duke of Burgundy (Hamearis lucina) — cowslip-rich woodland glades
Map butterfly (Araschnia levana) — stinging nettle in damp woodland
Purple emperor (Apatura iris) — old deciduous forest with sallow

The coast around Kristianstad and the Söderåsen National Park ridgeline are among the most productive sites.

Limestone islands — Öland and Gotland

These Baltic islands, founded on flat limestone bedrock, have an almost steppe-like character in their central plains (alvar). The thin, alkaline soil supports a low, botanically diverse turf with a remarkable butterfly community:

Cranberry fritillary (Boloria aquilonaris) — bog margins on the alvar
Scarce copper (Lycaena virgaureae) — flower-rich limestone grassland
Chequered skipper (Carterocephalus palaemon) — woodland rides
Silver-spotted skipper (Hesperia comma) — short, warm grassland with sheep's fescue

Öland is perhaps the best single butterfly site in Sweden, offering 60–70 species in early July.

Central Sweden — the boreal transition

The mixed and boreal forests of Götaland and Svealand hold the core populations of Sweden's most characteristic species:

Poplar admiral (Limenitis populi) — one of the commonest large woodland butterflies in Sweden, associated with old deciduous forest with aspen
Silver-washed fritillary (Argynnis paphia) — oak and mixed forest rides
Pearl-bordered fritillary (Boloria euphrosyne) — woodland clearings and rides with violets
Large copper (Lycaena dispar) — local in fens and wet meadows along rivers

Northern Sweden and Lapland

Above the Arctic Circle the fauna thins but the remaining species are among the most coveted in Europe:

Lapland ringlet (Erebia embla) — boggy, dwarf-birch fell tundra
Arctic fritillary (Boloria chariclea) — mountain tundra with mountain avens
Moorland clouded yellow (Colias hecla) — dry, south-facing fell ridges
Thor's fritillary (Boloria thore) — subalpine bogs with cloudberry and alpine violet
Northern blue (Plebejus idas) — heather moors and fell heath

The Abisko National Park and the Padjelanta plateau in Swedish Lapland are the premier sites for Arctic butterfly watching in Scandinavia.

Seasonality

Period	Highlights
March–April	First overwintered adults: brimstone, small tortoiseshell, Camberwell beauty (south)
May–June	First broods in Skåne; pearl-bordered fritillary; white-letter hairstreak
Late June–July	Peak diversity across all zones; Arctic species in Lapland
August	Second broods in south; migrants (red admiral, painted lady)

Observation tips

Sweden's best butterfly areas are consistently the warm, sheltered limestone and chalk grasslands of Öland and Gotland in early July, and the old deciduous forest of central Götaland for poplar admiral and purple emperor. In the south, south-facing slopes with calcareous soils and a diverse mix of flowering plants reward careful searching. In Lapland, calm, sunny days are essential — fell species do not fly in cloud, and the Arctic summer can be deceptively short. The most reliable Lapland sites, such as Abisko, are accessible by train from Stockholm.