Butterfly of the month - May 2008 - The Orange Tip (Anthocharis cardamines)

The Male Orange Tip (Picture 1) Photo © B.Kirby		The Female Orange Tip (Picture 2) Photo © B.Kirby

The Orange Tip butterfly can be seen from late April til late May mainly along the bottom valley ride.

The male is quiet easy to see and identify. It is white with orange coloured tips at the top of its wings (Picture 1). The female has no orange at all and the top wing tips are black (picture 2)

The undersides of the male and female are marked the same (picture 3 & 4).

It is sometimes possible to find this butterfly at roost before the sun comes out.

Orange Tip Underside (Picture 3) Photo © B.Kirby		Orange Tip Underside (Picture 4) Photo © S.Songhurst

The butterfly only has one generation a year. It lays its eggs on either Milkmaid (picture 5) or Jack-by-the-Hedge (Garlic mustard). The egg when first laid is white in colour, changing to orange after a day (picture 6)

Milkmaid (Picture 5) Photo © B.Kirby		Orange Tip Egg (Picture 6) Photo © B.Kirby

The larva is green and lays along the seedpods where they are very well camouflaged. The larva are noted for their cannibalistic tendenciesm and are known to eat each other in the early stages.

The pupa of this species is not often found, with the larva crawling away from the foodplant. The butterfly spends the winter as a pupa. Just before hatching it is sometimes possible to see the wings through the pup casing (Picture 7).

Orange Tip Pupa (Picture 7) Photo © B.Kirby

The best place to currently see this butterfly is along the bottom valley ride or along Lime Tree Grove ride.

Next month - The Peacock butterfly