# California Tortoiseshell

*Nymphalis californica*

This species is famous for 'population explosions' where millions migrate together, sometimes becoming thick enough to disrupt traffic.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Lepidoptera › Nymphalidae › Nymphalis
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** forest
- **Habitat:** Coniferous forests, mountain canyons, and chaparral shrublands.
- **Diet:** Adults feed on flower nectar, tree sap, and rotting fruit; larvae feed exclusively on Ceanothus leaves.
- **Range:** British Columbia, California, Oregon, Washington, Baja California, Rocky Mountains
- **Size:** Wingspan of 4.5 to 7.0 cm (1.75 to 2.75 inches)
- **Lifespan:** 6 to 10 months
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Habitat fragmentation and the use of broad-spectrum pesticides in forest management.
- **Safe to approach?:** Completely harmless to humans. These butterflies are best enjoyed through binoculars as they bask on rocks or mud-puddle. Avoid touching their wings, as this can remove the delicate scales necessary for flight and thermoregulation.

## About

The California tortoiseshell ( Nymphalis californica ) is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/2f8387ab-d58a-4ce1-a17d-4344c192407c
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/49920
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nymphalis californica
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/526669792/medium.jpg (Shirley Morrison, CC0, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.