Orange Tip

Orange Tip butterfly

Photograph of an Orange Tip feeding on a Dandelion flower. This butterfly has a dark body, white wings with bright orange tips.

Orange Tip butterfly

Orange Tip butterfly

Photograph of an Orange Tip feeding on a Dandelion flower. This butterfly has a dark body, white wings with bright orange tips.

Enlarge image

Latin: Anthocharis cardamines hibernica

Irish: Barr buí

The Orange Tip is a common spring butterfly throughout the area with the male being particularly obvious with its bright orange wing-tips.
 

Single-brooded, this butterfly is a recognised sub-species in Ireland, being slightly smaller than its counterpart in Britain. Food plants include Dame's Violet, Lady's smock, Garlic mustard and Watercress. This species hibernates in chrysalis for up to ten months of the year.