A-Z of butterflies

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Orange-tip - Photograph by Jim AsherNBN Map - Orange-tip Map courtesy of National Biodiversity Network (NBN)

Orange-tip (Female)

Common and widespread. A medium sized butterfly of gardens and hedgerows. Females are white with black wing tips. Males have white wings with orange wing tips. Both have mottled green underwings. Small White similar to female but without green underwing markings.

Resident

Range expanding.

Orange-tips are seen commonly in early summer along hedgerows, road verges, and woodland edges.

The mottled pattern of yellow and black scales on the underside hindwings provides excellent camouflage when they roost on flower heads such as those of Cow Parsley.

The butterfly is widespread in Ireland and southern Britain and has spread north rapidly over the past 25 years, especially in Scotland.

Conservation status

  • UK Biodiversity Action Plan: not listed
  • Butterfly Conservation priority: low
  • European threat status: not threatened

European/world range

Through most of Europe, as far north as central Scandinavia, across the Middle East and into temperate parts of Asia, as far as Japan. Its European range appears to be spreading northwards.

Foodplants

Several crucifers are used, especially Cuckooflower (Cardamine pratensis) in damp meadows and Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) along road verges and ditches. Occasionally, it uses Hedge Mustard (Sisymbrium officinale), Winter-cress (Barbarea vulgaris), Turnip (Brassica rapa), Charlock (Sinapis avensis), Large Bitter-cress (C. amara), and Hairy Rock-cress (Arabis hirsuta). In addition, it lays eggs on Honesty (Lunaria annua) and Dame's-violet (Hesperis matronalis) in gardens, but larval survival is thought to be poor on these plants.

Habitat

A wide range of damp grassy habitats is used, including meadows, grassy areas in woodland, road verges and waterside habitats such as ditches and the banks of rivers and canals. Northern and western populations seem to be associated mainly with wetter habitats and Cuckooflower is the usual foodplant, perhaps because Garlic Mustard is less common.