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Black Veined White
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Geneva,
Switzerland, June 2010 |
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Valais, Switzerland, June 2006 With Safflower Skipper, P. carthami. |
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Pyrénées Orientales, France, May 2006 |
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Black Veined
White Distribution: Across all of Europe but absent from northern Scandinavia and now extinct in the UK where once it was present across much of the south. It is also in low numbers on some Mediterranean Islands, particularly in the east. North Africa. Identification: Distinctive. It is the only large white butterfly with all the veins lined black and lacks any other marks. Only the Clouded Apollo, Parnassius mnemosyne, is similar but this has two large black spots on the forewing. See illustration above. Flight time: May to July. Habitat: Meadows with scrub or cultivated areas with fruit trees. Larvae feed on various fruit tree species (Prunus) and Blackthorn plus Hawthorns (Crataegus) and a few other bushes. Behaviour: Often found fighting each other for available space on suitable nectar plants - sometimes this appears to be rather violent, but I'm sure injuries are not possible. Can also be found roosting communally, particularly in open places where suitable low plants can host over half a dozen butterflies. Additional notes: This butterfly was once common in southern England. Suddenly it disappeared completely and hasn't been seen since the early 1900s. The reason for this decline has never been fully explained. Sporadic sightings in the southern counties may herald a gradual return. In the Pelopennesos, Greece, it was abundant in June. The numbers there were spectacular. One morning before the cloud cleared we found hundreds settled in groups of upto 8 on one grass stem. Once on the wing their large white forms are very conspicuous against the green herbage and the area seemed to become alive with them. |
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Valais,
Switzerland, June 2009 |
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Pyrénées Orientales, France, May 2006 |
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Chalkidiki, Greece, May 2004 |
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Isère, France,
July 2008 |
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Chalkidiki, Greece, May 2004 |
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Cote d'Or, France, June 2005 |
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Cote d'Or, France, June 2005 |
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Cote d'Or, France, June 2005 |
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Geneva, Switzerland, June 2005 |
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Geneva, Switzerland, June 2005 |
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Cote d'Or, France, June 2005 |
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NW Greece, July 2004 Shiny wings indicate an aging butterfly. |
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Piedmont, Italy, June 2004 Butterflies fighting on a flower head - a common sight when numbers are high. |
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Cyprus, April 2002 |
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Cyprus, April 2002 |
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Cyprus, April 2002 |
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 Peter Rowlings |
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Pelopennesos, Greece, June 2002 |
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Cyprus, April 2002 |
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Cyprus, April 2002 |
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