Orange tip
Anthocharis cardamines
Habitat
The Orange tip is found throughout most of Europe and Asia. In the Netherlands, this butterfly species can be found everywhere, but is scarcer in the west and in drier areas. The Orange tip prefers sheltered areas in moist hay meadows and sunny scrubland on the edges of forests. The Orange tip has one generation, flying from April to the end of May.
Appearance
Life cycle
The Orange tip stays in the egg for 3 to 10 days. When the Orange tip emerges from the egg, this butterfly species remains a caterpillar for 11 to 34 days. The caterpillar then pupates. Pupation lasts 320 to 340 days. After this, the Orange tip lives for 9 to 18 days as a butterfly.
Host plants and nectar plants
Host plants are special plants on which butterflies, such as the Orange tip, lay their eggs. When the eggs hatch, the caterpillars feed on those plants. This allows the caterpillars to grow until they are large and strong enough to transform into butterflies. Host plants are therefore essential for the survival of butterfly species, because without host plants there would be no caterpillars and ultimately no butterflies.
Each butterfly species has its own favorite plants. The Orange tip uses the following plants as host plants: Cuckoo flower (Cardamine pratensis), Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata), Mustards (Brassicaceae), Honesty (Lunaria annua), Dame’s rocket (Hesperis matronalis), Large bitter-cress (Cardamine amara), and Charlock mustard (Sinapis arvensis).
Most butterfly species, such as the Orange tip, need nectar to survive. Butterflies obtain nectar from nectar plants. Nectar is a syrupy liquid that comes from flowers. This liquid contains a lot of sugar, small amounts of protein, and vitamins. Nectar provides the energy that the Orange tip needs to fly.
The Orange tip feeds on the following plants as nectar plants: Cuckoo flower (Cardamine pratensis), Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata), Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), and Ragged robin (Silene flos-cuculi).
Would you like to give the Orange tip a helping hand? Then plant (some of) these species in your garden.
Caution with some plant species
The flowers, leaves, and roots of the Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) are edible. However, the stems are not.
