Parnassius apollo

Valais, Switzerland, May 2007

Valais, Switzerland, June 2006

Valais, Switzerland, July 2006

apollo

phoebus apollo

Differentiating between Apollo and Small Apollo (P. apollo, P. phoebus)

Antennae of phoebus are strongly marked black/ white, apollo rather uniform grey.

apollo phoebus

Differentiating between Apollo and Small Apollo (P. apollo, P. phoebus)

Presence of red near apex of the forewing in phoebus.

Apollo
Parnassius apollo

Distribution: Mountains of Spain, France, Italy, Alps, Carpathians, S Germany and Balkans. Also S Scandinavia (not Denmark). Widespread in many places but can be rare in some of the less extensive mountain ranges.

Identification: Large white butterfly with large orange or red spots and clear areas on the wings. Only likely to be confused with the similar Small Apollo, P. phoebus, which flies at mid to high levels in the Alps. The latter species has red spots near the apex of the forewing. Usually these spots are obvious but sometimes they are small or even absent. The definitive aid to identification is the antenna. These are clearly black and white striped in phoebus but predominately grey in apollo. See the photos immediately below this text.

It is very variable across its range and many subspecies have been described, many of which are no more than local forms adjusted to local conditions. Usually this manifests itself in the colour (reds and yellows), size and extent of the spots on the hindwing. It is more likely that there are genuine subspecies when compared between mountain ranges that are isolated from one another (e.g. Alps and Pyrenees) rather than within them. The taxonomic status of these populations is subject to debate.

Flight time: Flies from late April to August and reported in September. Amazingly my earliest record is from the 27th April at around 1000m in Valais, Switzerland. I've found it at around 600m in Valais an a number of occasions in May and once or twice in the low hills in Provence, France in May. Generally though the species flies in the mountains from June until August according to altitude.

Habitat: Diverse but always in hills and mountains. Dry grassy/ scrubby hills in the Mediterranean region. Vineyards, dry and damp meadows to high alpine grasslands.

Behaviour: A large white butterfly that flaps lazily over meadows. It will crash into flowers before starting to feed avidly. Can often be easily approached when feeding, even to the point of being pushed around the flower head with one finger, apparently without disturbing its meal.

Additional notes: One of the amazing features of this genus (shared by some other butterflies too) is the structure called the sphragus. It is a hard structure that is deposited on the female's abdomen by the male during mating. It physically prevents the female mating a second time. See the photo below.