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Project Noah Nature School
Anthocharis cardamines
A windy and cold day I found this butterfly holding hard to a wild violet flower trying not to be carried away by the wind. Since it was very cold I did not see any other butterfly but this one saved my day. Unfortunately it never opened the wings so I could not see the orange tip at the wings upperpart that gives it the name, if it was a male. It could be a female which does not have the orange tip but a dark apical mark at the upper front wing. The orange tips on the male's forewings are believed to be aposematic, acting as a warning to birds that the butterflies contain toxins (mustard oils) derived from the larval foodplants, garlic mustard and cuckoo flower. Females lead much more sedentary and inconspicuous lives so possibly have less need to "advertise" their toxicity.
Spotted on a common dog violet (viola riviniana) at a pine tree forest (Pinus silvestris). Reserva de la Biosfera del Real Sitio de San Ildefonso-El Espinar.
Camera Model: NIKON D500. Exposure Time: 1/640 sec.; f/11; ISO Speed Rating: 3200. Focal Length: 90.0 mm. No flash fired. DSC_1104, 1108, 1109
Spotted on May 12, 2018
Submitted on Jun 29, 2018
1 Comment
I changed the first picture