Small Tortoiseshell
Aglais urticae
The young caterpillars live gregariously in communal webs on nettles. The adult is recognised by its orange upperside with black, yellow and white blocks along the leading edge and a border of small blue spots.
- Group
- Brush-footed Butterflies
- Photos
- 1
- Taken
- 2022
Profile: Small Tortoiseshell
- Family
- Brush-footed butterflies (Nymphalidae)
- Wingspan
- approx. 40–50 mm
- Habitat
- Almost anywhere nettles grow – gardens, meadows, woodland edges, verges and settlements from the lowlands up into high mountains.
- Diet
- Caterpillars feed almost exclusively on common nettle; adults take nectar from a very wide range of plants, especially hemp agrimony and thistles, and readily visit garden flowers.
- When to see
- Overwinters as an adult in sheltered places such as cellars, lofts or sheds; two to three generations in warm regions, flying roughly from February/March to October.
Learn more: Wikipedia · NABU (German)