LARGE HEATH |
COENONYMPHA TULLIA |
Fig 1 |
ADULT: Wingspan - 35 - 40mm. Uppersides are primarily orange with the hidwings slightly darker in appearance. The undersides are the main ID giveaway and are the view most observers will get. The combination of black eyespots, the jagged edged creamy line and the butterflies size should easily give the game away to this specimens name. CHRYSALIS: Green with variable black striping. LARVA: Green with several creamy stripes running along its length. Overwinters in this stage. EGG: Spherical. Yellow becoming covered in dark patches. Located on Cotton-Grass. BEHAVIOUR: A colonising species with males very active on sunny days. Feeds on the flowers of Cross Leaved Heath. Males are prone to tilting their wings so as to absorb the suns heat. HABITAT: Wet boggy areas in northern Britain. FLIGHT PERIOD: Late June to late July. |