During the summer months in and around the town, an impressive range of butterflies can be spotted.

The Large Heath is very similar to the small heath but is a specialist of raised bog habitats such as Blantyre Muir and Langlands Moss while the Small Heath is associated more with grasslands.

Six other butterflies are worth mentioning. They are hard to spot. These are:

• The Small Copper is a small, fast-flying butterfly found in open grassy areas and woodland rides. Very hard to spot. Caterpillars can be found on sorrel. It was spotted at Glen Esk Pocket Park and Fern Brae Meadows.
• Painted Lady is a butterfly that migrates from North Africa, and on good years it can be spotted in East Kilbride.
• The Small Skipper was seen in 2025 at Colonsay Field. So far, there have been occasional sightings.
• The Holly Blue, which has expanded its range northwards, has recently been spotted in the South Side of Glasgow. Look for it in Holly in spring and Ivy in late summer. It might be worth looking around Stewartfield.
• Purple Hairstreak is another butterfly that has extended its range and currently, the best place to see them is in the Motherwell Area. They associate with mature oaks, and East Kilbride does have pockets of mature oak dotted about the place. A very hard butterfly to spot, and the view is it is under recorded so could there be a colony lurking in East Kilbride?
• Common Blue is a butterfly that should be, as its name suggests, common! Spotted in 2025 in Blantyre Muir. Unfortunately, only the underside was photographed. To illustrate what a gorgeous butterfly this is, I have included an image of one I took in Ayrshire.