Bath White (Pontia daplidice)

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2023 photographs highlighted in green. Click on any photograph to go to an enlarged picture, or simply scroll down the page.

5572_male_Var_21May07 31864_male_Var_24Apr13 45723_male_Var_25Aug18 32545_female_Var_4Jun13
4354_female_Var_26Sep06 40685_male_Var_5Jun16 27973_pair_Var_16Sep11 21676_female_Alpes-Maritimes_7Jul10
     
46041_female_Var_25May19      

This is a much more attractive butterfly than may be apparent as it flits past, especially the female. It seems to be on the wing in May/early June and again, in greater numbers, in September. Whether this is because it is double brooded, which the timing might suggest, or whether the September brood is an influx of migrants, is hard to say. Lafranchis says its flight period is March to October in two to four generations and that it is resident in the Mediterranean region, but that does not quite account for its disappearance (in my experience) from mid-June to the end of August.

It is quite easy to tell the male from the female from the extent of the black markings on the upperside, the male uph being unmarked.

 

This is another species with a quite misleading English name, as it was first seen (allegedly, although there seems to be no clear evidence) in England near Bath, so it gets stuck with a name as daft as the Camberwell Beauty, even though its subsequent visits to Bath must have been very infrequent indeed.

 
ref sex

observations

alt. m
5572 M

a first brood male, easily identified by body shape and the dark markings which are much lighter than the female, especially on the uph.

185
31864 M a male, with particularly light markings on the forewing apex. 220
45723 M a male with very strong and contrasted markings. 620
32545 F a female, very fresh with the black markings very well contrasted with the pure white background. 220
4354 F

a clearly marked female. The black discoidal mark does not appear to reach the costa. It has a small tear in the left hindwing.

185
40685 M a male, stopping in a brief spell of cloudy weather. A beautiful yellow-green colouring on the unh. 200
27973 PAIR a mating pair. I suspect the female is on the right. 20
21676 F

a very fresh female, with a bright yellow-green colouring.

1400
46041 F a female, a rather pale unh colour. 420

 

5572_male_Var_21May07

 

31864_male_Var_24Apr13

 

45723_male_Var_25Aug18

 

32545_female_Var_4Jun13

 

4354_female_Var_26Sep06

 

40685_male_Var_5Jun16

 

27973_pair_Var_16Sep11

 

21676_female_Alpes-Maritimes_7Jul10

 

46041_female_Var_25May19