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Euchloe simplonia

Mountain Dappled White

Martigny, Switzerland, May 2004 (m)

Black along the forewing costa is not as obvious as the textbooks suggest,
but there is a black area above the typical Euchloe cell spot.

Martigny, Switzerland, May 2004 (m)

Same butterfly as above, resting on the larval foodplant.

Valais, Switzerland, June 2006

Valais, Switzerland, July 2004 (m)

Valais, Switzerland, July 2004 (f)

Poor photo but shows how dusky and extensive the upperside markings can be.

Valais, Switzerland, July 2004 (f)

Even the hindwing is very heavily scaled in this example.

Valais, Switzerland, July 2004 (f)

Underside of dusky example above

Valais, Switzerland, June 2003 (f)

Valais, Switzerland, June 2003

Extreme amount of green on underside.
(Actually the green is created by a mixture of black and yellow scales.)

This is the Dappled White of the mountains. It is found at higher altitudes and further north than its close relatives to over 2000m in the Pyrenees, Cantabrians and the western Alps to southern Switzerland. The specimen shown in the lower two photos is an atypical individual. It has amazingly heavy green scaling. Usually they are mottled green and white on the underside hindwing.

I found this in the early season of 2003 flying from the end of April (1000m) to early July (2000m) but perhaps they would fly a little later in a normal year.

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