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Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae)
wingspan: 4.5 - 5.0 cm;
male/ : Orange-red ground colour,
female with black markings, edged
black with blue crescents.
Underside very dark.
larval
foodplant: nettles
A butterfly in serious decline. I see fewer and fewer of these each year. Summer 2006 was a very good year for most butterflies but I only saw 2 of these. This is apparently due to the arrival of a parasitic fly in 1998: which is now spreading northward over the country.
This fly lays its eggs onto the leaves of stinging nettles. When the Small Tortoiseshell feeds on the leaves it ingests the eggs; they then hatch inside the caterpillar and proceed to devour the caterpillar from the inside.
First sighting - July 2005
Highest yearly counts
2005(July) - 3
2006(July) - 2
2007(July) - 2
2008 Sightings:
JULY w/e | | | | AUG. w/e | | SEPT w/e | | |
| 5th | 12th | 19th | 26th | 2nd. | 9th | 6th | 13th | 27th |
| | | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| | | | | | | | | |
2009 Sightings:
July w/e | Aug. w/e | | | | |
| 25th | 1st | 8th | 15th | 22nd | |
| 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | |
| | | | | |
2010 Sightings:
July w/e | | Aug w/e | Sept w/e | |
| 3rd | 10th | 7th | 4th | 11th |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| | | | | |