Small Tortoiseshell

Scientific Name - Aglais urticae

Flight Period - All year

Overwinters as - Adult

Habitat - Gardens, Parks, Grasslands, Woodlands

Larval foodplants - Common Nettle

Conservation status - Low priority

Northamptonshire distribution - Widespread

Best public sites to see them - Anywhere with suitable habitat

The Small Tortoiseshell is a common and widespread butterfly in Northamptonshire. However, their numbers seem to have taken a dramatic dip in 2023. Hopefully, this will be temporary and in future years we can see this beautiful mid-sized butterfly back to its normal level of abundance. Like the Peacock, they have in recent years been going into overwintering diapause early and they can be quite scarce by the end of summer. They often like to attempt overwinter in people's houses and they can sometimes be found behind bookshelves or wardrobes, especially in rooms where the windows have been left open during the summer months. They get their name from the row of blue lunules that run along the outer edge of the wings as it used to remind the historic butterfly enthusiasts of the now thankfully defunct fashion of adding slivers of Tortoiseshell to decorate furniture.

Small Tortoiseshell Distribution 2018 - 2022

Small Tortoiseshell

Small Tortoiseshell larval web

Small Tortoiseshell

Small Tortoiseshells can often be found indoors during the winter. These Small Tortoiseshell were part of a large group seeing out the winter in the stairway of a B&B in Wellinborough