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Small tortoiseshell

Aglais urticae

Photo by The MnMs
Published on Project Noah
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53.7577, 20.4545

Field Notes

Description:

The adult is striking, with its dark body and red and yellow wings, which have a row of blue dots around the rear edge. However the underwings are dull, which helps to conceal stationary or hibernating individuals. When threatened, resting individuals rapidly open their wings, presenting the dramatic display of colours. This can frighten away young or inexperienced birds.

Habitat:

Found in marshes near a pond.

Reference Links:

Small Tortoiseshell

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (6)
Elsa
Beautiful picture and butterfly!
DanielePralong
"It was a Noah field trip on the side of the molecular yeast biology conference :-)" Love it! I would guess they're probably still quite a few now in Poland as it is cooler than in central Europe...
The MnMs
I meant sighting..typing fast is not my best ;-)
The MnMs
So good to hear I´ve got a rare sughting although I would like for this species to be more abundant. I was in Kortowo-Olsztyn for a week for a conference. The campus is in the middle of woods and lakes and had many opportunities to make good spottings of many butterflies which I will be posting next. I was astonished by the butterfly diversity I have found in there! It was a Noah field trip on the side of the molecular yeast biology conference :-)
DanielePralong
Marta! You're in Poland1 The small tortoiseshells in my area have started to fade away. In June they were one of the most prominent butterflies but now they've almost disappeared and the remaining individuals are not in good shape. This Polish specimen is still looking good!

Spotted for Missions

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Butterflies & Moths of the World
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Great Pollinator Project of NYC
Mission
European Butterflies and Moths

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Photographed
PublishedJuly 17, 2011

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