Orange-tip
Anthocharis cardamines
Fairly common and widespread in our area. The Orange-tip is a medium sized butterfly which is often seen in gardens and along hedgerows and roadside verges, especially in areas where water occurs. Males have white wings with orange wing tips. Females are white with black wing tips and can be easily confused with the Small White
Both the male and female have mottled pattern of yellow and black scales on the underside hindwings which provides excellent camouflage when they roost on flower heads such as Cow Parsley.
Adult Orange-tip butterflies are on the wing between mid-April and mid-June.
Eggs are usually laid singly on a variety of foodplants in bright sunshine within damp meadows or road verges, disused railway lines and ditches. On hatching, the larvae immediately eat the shell of its egg before feeing on the host plant. The larvae eat the seeds, developing seed pods and flower-heads. By the fourth instar the larvae may eat upto 6 Garlic Mustard seed pods in a day pausing every so often to rest.
The caterpillars of the Orange-tip are know to be cannibalistic and it is thought that a single Cuckooflower plant can sustain only one larvae.
Larval Food plants
Cuckooflower or Lady's Smock (Cardamine pratensis)
Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata)
Hedge Mustard (Sisymbrium officinale)
Turnip (Brassica rapa)
Charlock (Sinapis avensis)
Hairy Rock-cress (Arabis hirsuta)
Winter-cress (Barbarea vulgaris)
Habitat Requirements
This butterfly is usually seen in damp grassy habitats or river banks where Cuckooflower (also known as Lady's Smock), the primary larvae foodplant grows or along hedgerows where Garlic/Hedge Mustard is found.
Warwickshire Status
Resident
Where to see the Orange-tip
Draycote Meadows (WWT Reserve)
Harbury Spoilbank (WWT Reserve)
Brandon Marsh (WWT Reserve)
Welches Meadow (WWT Reserve)
Henley Sidings (WWT Reserve) |
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Other Species
Please select an alternative species from the list below.
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| ©
Steven Cheshire - Male |
First Sightings
First sighting dates are based on records of Orange-tip submitted online. Please note that these dates are not updated retrospectively to include records submitted to the branch recorder in other forms.
| 08/04/2010 - 3 The Deer Leap, Kenilworth |
| 24/03/2009 - Ladywalk NR |
| 30/03/2008 - Mickleton |
| 02/04/2007 - Kingsbury Water Park |
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| The flight chart below is based on observations of the adult Orange-tip in Warwickshire between 2005 and 2008. Peak periods are shown in dark green. |
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Warwickshire Distribution Maps base on Vice County (CV38) which includes Coventry and Solihull
Distribution of the Orange-tip during the indicated period.
Key to Warwickshire Maps: sightings  1 2-9 10+ |
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