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Small Tortoiseshell
aglais urticae urticae
53.431, -1.35546
Field Notes
Description:
These striking butterflies were basking in the early evening sunlight on the meadow path I was walking on. These butterflies have suffered a recent decline and numbers fluctuating, one of the reasons proposed is the increase in production (possibly due to global warming) of a parasitic fly (sturmia bella) that lays its eggs on the foodplant where the butterfly larvae are feeding.
Habitat:
found in Low common Meadows owned and maintained by the Yorkshire wildlife trust.
Notes:
The nominate subspecies was first defined in Linnaeus (1758) The population in the British Isles is represented by this subspecies.
Species ID Suggestions
Spotted for Missions
Photographed
PublishedJuly 10, 2013
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