Patrick Barkham goes spring butterfly spotting

This male orange tip is one of the classic signs of spring and a common sight on marshy ground and along country lanes in April and early May. I found this one on the banks of the Thames by Twickenham. The female of the species lacks the brilliant orange on its wings and can be mistaken for a small white or green-veined white Photograph: Patrick Barkham/Patrick Barkham

The poor old dingy skipper looks more like a moth than a bright butterfly. It has got much rarer in recent years, but can still be seen flying alongside grizzled skippers on many nature reserves and protected sites. It is pretty feisty too: this one was scrapping with green hairstreaks seconds before this photograph Photograph: Patrick Barkham/Patrick Barkham

In flight it looks dusty grey but when it lands, the green hairstreak always sits with its wings closed, displaying its brilliant green undersides. This one looks a bit blurry in the body because it was happily rubbing its wings together Photograph: Patrick Barkham/Patrick Barkham

I found this green-veined white in the same spot and had to follow it until it rested. It is identified by the distinctive veins on its wings (unlike me, real experts can distinguish it from a small white even in flight). This is a very mobile butterfly, seen in more parts of Britain than any other Photograph: Patrick Barkham/Patrick Barkham

This grizzled skipper is tiny and, in flight, can be mistaken for a moth. You are unlikely to see this in a garden but it can be spotted on old railway lines, sandy heaths and grassland where there is plenty of wild strawberry flowers Photograph: Patrick Barkham/Patrick Barkham

Butterfly or moth? I followed this insect for ages thinking it might be a grizzled or dingy skipper. But when it rests, you can see it is a moth because it has thin feelers instead of clubbed antennae. I’m not an expert on moths at all but I am told this is a lattice heath moth Photograph: Patrick Barkham/Patrick Barkham

Two of our most beautiful, and most common, butterflies: peacocks and comma seem everywhere this spring. These two were sunbathing side-by-side when a brimstone flew past. Both got up and gave chase, and then the peacock turned on the comma and shooed it away as well. Peacocks can be very territorial: sometimes they will even try to scare off humans Photograph: Patrick Barkham/Patrick Barkham

This is as close as I could get to another very distinctive spring butterfly. The holly blue loves holly and ivy and has successfully colonised most of our urban areas Photograph: Patrick Barkham/Patrick Barkham

This beautiful little butterfly is one of our rarest and most threatened species. There are less than 100 colonies left and many have only a few individuals. I only found the duke of burgundy with the help of the National Trust’s advisor on nature, Matthew Oates, who is an expert on the species. We watched six males behaving like typical chauvinists on holiday: sunning themselves, fighting and waiting for the females of the species to wake up Photograph: Patrick Barkham/Patrick Barkham