(Linnaeus, 1758)
Spanish Festoon
Description:
The Spanish Festoon can be found on scrub and dry, grassy vegetation. The butterflies are often found in rocky areas, where they can be seen, wings widespread, basking on stones, warming themselves in the sun.
The female lays her eggs singly or in small groups on birthworts (Aristolochia spp.), such as A. longa, A. rotunda, and A. pistolochia. The caterpillars feed on these poisonous plants, pupating for the winter. It can sometimes take two to three years before the butterfly emerges from the chrysalis.
Habitat:
Dry siliceous grasslands
Dry calcareous grasslands
Sclerophyllous scrub
Similar species:
Zerynthia polyxena
Zerynthia cerisy
Zerynthia cretica