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Aglais urticae

Small Tortoiseshell

Field Notes

Valais, Switzerland, June 2009

Jura, France, July 2006

Jura, France, July 2006

Valais, Switzerland, March 2006

Cote d'Or, France, June 2005

Valais, Switzerland, April 2008

Vaud, Switzerland, April 2009
Pupation underway.

Valais, Switzerland, April 2009
The wasp attack lasted just 4 minutes.

Bern, Switzerland, July 2009

Valais, Switzerland, February 2007

Valais, Switzerland, May 2004

Valais, Switzerland, March 2006
Spring Bulbocodium, Bulbocodium vernum, a favourite nectar plant as the
snows clear and the first warm days of spring.

Valais, Switzerland, May 2004

Victim of a crab spider.

Sardinia, May 2003

ssp. ichnusa

Valais, Switzerland, March 2003

Courting

Valais, Switzerland, March 2003

Hibernated butterflies were feeding from the oversized croci

Valais, Switzerland, March 2003

Sardinia, May 2003

ssp ichnusa

Sardinia, May 2003

ssp. ichnusa

This is one of the best known butterflies of Europe. It is widespread and common. It can be found in almost every habitat and any altitude. It is particularly common in towns and villages where its opportunistic foodplant grows in plenty on disturbed ground. Additionally it is one of the first butterflies out of hibernation in spring and flies well into the autumn before hibernating.

It is known for consistent markings throughout its range from the southern tips of Spain, Italy and Greece to northern Scotland and Norway. There is one notable exception to this, the subspecies ichnusa that flies on Corsica and Sardinia. This is distinctly different as can be seen in the photographs above - amongst other things it lacks 2 black spots on the forewing which give the impression of a much more orange butterfly. We found it in small numbers at higher altitudes on Mt Gennargentu, Sardinia, in May 2003. The odd thing is that larvae bred from here produce nearly normal butterflies elsewhere. This suggests that there is a strong environmental factor at work but I've not heard anything on this subject.

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