Anthocharis cardamines

Orange-tip (Anthocharis cardamines)

2024 photographs highlighted in yellow. Click on any photograph to go to an enlarged picture, or simply scroll down the page.


41309_male_Isère_13Jul16	45881_male_Var_12Apr19	19668_female_Var_17Apr10	20238_female_Alpes-de-Haute-Provence_21May10

23982_male_Var_13Apr11	46948_male_Hertfordshire, UK_27Apr20	47787_male_UK, Hertfordshire_2May21	47821_female_UK, Hertfordshire_5May21

47985_female_UK, Hertfordshire_27May21	23978_female_Var_12Apr11

Common in the early season in England and across Europe. It is single brooded although it may still be on the wing in July at high altitudes. The male is unmistakeable.

The female, which does not have the orange apical markings, could not really be mistaken for anything else in the UK, but could be confused with the Dappled White (Euchloe crameri) in southern Europe.

The female upf apical mark is rather more solid in cardamines than crameri and the shape of the cardamines discoidal mark is usually different and not attached to the costa, whereas for crameri it is (almost). The unf apical mark is mottled green in crameri.

ref	sex	observations	alt. m
41309	M	*a male. Opportunities for a photograph of the male cardamines* are infrequent, despite its commonness, as it has a tendency to fly continuously in search of females.**	1230
45581	M	a male.	220
19668	F	*a female, but the wide apical mark and the very large discoidal spot are rather unusual for cardamines, and made me wonder for a moment whether this could be crameri.*	220
20238	F	a female, the discoidal mark being rather more normal than 19668.	750
23982	M	a male underside.	140
46948	M	a male underside, taken in overcast conditions.	70
47787	M	*a male underside, also taken in overcast conditions, as these seem to be the only conditions in which cardamines* stops flying, especially the males.**	60
47821	F	a female underside.	60
47985	F	a female underside.	60
23978	F	a female underside, the discoidal spot being larger and rather crescent-shaped similar to 19668.	20