orange-tip

The common name derives from the bright orange tips of the male's forewings. The males are a common sight in spring, flying along hedgerows and damp meadows in search of the more reclusive female which lacks the orange and is often mistaken for other species of butterfly. The undersides are mottled green and white and create a superb camouflage when settled on flowerheads such as cow parsley and garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata). Males display a variation in body size, which is attributed to their host plant. Males reared on C. pratensis become the smaller of the two variants, and those reared on A. petiolata become the larger.

A. cardamines can be found throughout Europe and across the Palearctic to China. The habitats of males and females differ significantly. Males are restricted to edges and clearings of forests for their entire lives. On rare occurrences, males will leave forest edges and enter meadows, but this is only to cross and reach another forest edge. They prefer to fly in bright sunlight and avoid areas of shade in the forest. Females are mainly found in open meadows and dry hillocks for a majority of their lives. Females only spend short period of time in forests before re-entering nearby meadows. In Armenia the species inhabits not only forests and woodlands, but also meadows, where males occur together with females.

Lathyrus montanus Viola canina Viola riviniana Geranium robertianum Viola tricolor Capsella bursa-pastoris Lychnis flos-cuculi Female A. cardamines feed on the flowers listed above, in addition to all species of flowers located in the habitats where their host plants are found. They do not interrupt host plant search to find foraging habitats; instead, they visit available flowers in host plant habitats.