(Linnaeus, 1758)
Large Tortoiseshell
Description:
The Large Tortoiseshell is found in warm, sunny places in deciduous woods and near groups of trees. Sometimes, a solitary tree is taken over by these butterflies. Elms (Ulmus spp.), willows (Salix spp.) and sometimes fruit trees or Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) are used as food plants.
The female, usually choosing a twig from the previous year, deposits a large group of eggs in a band around it. The caterpillars live together in silken tents until the last larval instar when they become solitary. They are fond of sitting on the sunny side of the food plant or on branches in the sun. The caterpillar is dull, dark-grey with rust-coloured stripes along its back and sides, and long rust-brown spines. The chrysalis hangs from a twig in the food plant, looking very like a withered leaf. The newly-emerged butterflies often roam. The Large Tortoiseshell hibernates as a butterfly in cool, dark places such as in a hollow tree.
It has one generation a year.
Habitat:
Tree lines and hedges
Mixed woodland
Urban parks and gardens
Deciduous forests
Similar species:
Aglais urticae
Nymphalis xanthomelas
Nymphalis vaualbum