Small Tortoiseshell Aglais urticae

The most striking thing about this butterfly is its double life as both showpiece and shadow. The upperwings are a blaze of orange, black, and blue — but flip it over and you would swear you were looking at a dead leaf. This camouflage is so effective that hibernating adults can spend entire winters tucked in sheds and attics, invisible to predators. This species is one of the few butterflies that overwinters as an adult rather than as an egg or chrysalis.

In warmer years, adults can squeeze in two full broods before the cold sets in. The larvae are dedicated nettle-eaters — so if you have a patch of stinging nettles in your garden, you might just be running a butterfly nursery.