Butterfly Conservation Saving butterflies, moths and our environment | Upper Thames Branch |
Orange-tip (Anthocharis cardamines) | |||||||||
Description | |||||||||
Wing span: 43-51 mm. The Orange-tip is one of the first species to appear that has not spent the winter as an adult. The male has the bright orange fore-wings tips that gives this butterfly its name; these are absent in the female. Both sexes have an intricate underside pattern of green blotches formed by a combination of yellow and black scales. When at rest on a flower head of the larval food plant this butterfly so well camouflaged that it can easily be missed. It is found throughout most of Britain. It has a wide range of habitats which include country lanes, hedgerows, riverbanks, woodland margins and rides, and damp meadows. It will also turn up in gardens. | |||||||||
Images (click to enlarge) | |||||||||
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Life Cycle | |||||||||
There is a single brood each year, with adults flying from the beginning of April, through May and into June. The pupa is the over-wintering stage. | |||||||||
Larval Foodplants | |||||||||
The main larval food plants are Cuckooflower (Cardamine pratensis) and Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata). | |||||||||
Nectar Sources | |||||||||
Adults take nectar from flowers such as Garlic Mustard, Cuckooflower and Bluebell. | |||||||||
UK Conservation Status | |||||||||
Least Concern | |||||||||
Earliest UTB first sighting (since 2004) : 27th February | |||||||||
Mean UTB first sighting (since 2004) : 28th March | |||||||||
Distribution and Sites | |||||||||
Key
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Related Species | |||||||||
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