Large Tortoiseshell

Fascinating facts about the Large Tortoiseshell

• The large tortoiseshell, once thought extinct in Britain after disappearing as a resident by the mid-twentieth century, has begun to re-establish itself in southern England. Notable influxes were recorded in 2006 and 2007, and during the 2010s and early 2020s breeding was confirmed by wild caterpillars on host trees.
• Males have a wingspan of 68-72 mm and females 72-75 mm, placing them among medium-to-large Nymphalidae butterflies. The species shows no sexual dimorphism.
• The gregarious larvae of the large tortoiseshell feed in groups, systematically stripping the upper twigs of their host trees until the tops appear denuded. They use a range of deciduous trees such as elm, poplar, willow and related species for this feeding. Because the caterpillars have little defence against bird predation, their conspicuous feeding habit makes them vulnerable to avian hunters.
• The decline of the large tortoiseshell in Britain in the late 1970s is thought to be linked to the loss of predatory birds, because its larvae have little defence against avian hunters. The caterpillars are gregarious and systematically strip the topmost twigs of their host trees, leaving the crowns denuded. They feed on a variety of deciduous trees such as elm, sallow, pear, apple, rowan, hawthorn, poplar and plum.
• The large tortoiseshell makes a cameo in the James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service, where Bond visits M's study and comments on the tiny specimen on the table, impressing the amateur lepidopterist. The scene highlights the butterfly's distinctive orange-red wings despite its modest size. Although the specimen Bond mentions is not the one M is handling, a mounted example of N. polychloros can be seen on a microscope slide nearby.

Sources

Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.

• Wikipedia

At a glance

About the Large Tortoiseshell

As the warmth of sunlight dances across the forest floor, the Large Tortoiseshell butterfly stirs, its wings a mesmerizing mosaic of umber and gold, like the first whispers of autumn. With languid elegance, it takes to the air, its delicate form undulating as it navigates the dappled shade, a masterful weaver of the woodland's hidden pathways. In its gentle, unhurried flight, we find a poignant reminder of the beauty that still thrives, unseen and unspoiled, in the secret heart of the natural world.

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