The Brimstone butterfly (Gonepteryx rhamni) is named after its yellow hue which was thought to resemble the colour of sulphur. It is darker in the male than the female of the species. Only a few have been seen in the Charlton Down Nature Area but it is a common enough visitor on garden flowers in the village. It is one of 38 species of Lepidoptera recorded at the site so far.
Useful Books and Links
Collins Complete Guide to Butterflies and Moths – a photographic guide to every common species, Paul Sterry, Andrew Cleave, and Rob Read, William Collins, 2016, ISBN 978-0-00-810611-9
Butterflies of Britain and Ireland, Richard Lewington and John Bebbington, Field Studies Council Fold-out Guide, Wild ID, 2022, OP184, ISBN 978-1-908819-45-1
https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/invertebrates/butterflies/brimstone
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/animals/butterflies/brimstone/
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Charlton Down Nature Area 
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