Large Tortoiseshell
Nymphalis polychloros
When hibernating in dark hollows, they close their wings to perfectly mimic a dry, dead leaf, virtually vanishing from predators.
- Scientific name
- Nymphalis polychloros
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Lepidoptera › Nymphalidae › Nymphalis
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Deciduous woodlands, forest glades, orchards, and warm woodland edges.
- Diet
- Adults feed on tree sap, sallow catkins, and rotting fruit; caterpillars feed on the leaves of elm, sallow, and wild cherry trees.
- Range
- Europe, North Africa, Western Asia, Siberia
- Size
- 68-75 mm wingspan
- Lifespan
- 10-11 months
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Loss of woodland habitats, Dutch elm disease reducing caterpillar host trees, and pesticide use in agricultural borders.
- Safe to approach?
- This species is completely harmless. You can safely observe it from any distance. Do not attempt to catch or touch it, as its wings are highly fragile and losing scales can impair its flight. If it lands on your skin, remain still and enjoy the moment until it flies away on its own.
The large tortoiseshell or blackleg tortoiseshell ( Nymphalis polychloros ) is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae.
Photo: Didier Descouens, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
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