Fox or nettles? - _TNY_1452S3
A small tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) showing the underside of its wings and the dark colour adapted to be more inconspicuous while hibernating during winter.
I find the various common names of this one interesting. The English "small tortoiseshell" is in reference to the colour and pattern of the dorsal side of the wings, while in Swedish it is a "nässelfjäril" - a nettle butterfly - as nettles are the host plant on which the caterpillars feed on. The Norwegian "neslesommerfugl", Danish "nældens takvinge" and Spanish "mariposa de la ortiga" also have the same idea.
The scientific name "urticae" is along the same lines as it is in reference to Urtica which is the name for the nettles genus.
Germany and France agree (yay) and also the Netherlands think the orange colour making it look like a little fox as Kleiner Fuchs", "petit-renard" and "kleine vos" translates into small fox.
Fox or nettles? - _TNY_1452S3
A small tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) showing the underside of its wings and the dark colour adapted to be more inconspicuous while hibernating during winter.
I find the various common names of this one interesting. The English "small tortoiseshell" is in reference to the colour and pattern of the dorsal side of the wings, while in Swedish it is a "nässelfjäril" - a nettle butterfly - as nettles are the host plant on which the caterpillars feed on. The Norwegian "neslesommerfugl", Danish "nældens takvinge" and Spanish "mariposa de la ortiga" also have the same idea.
The scientific name "urticae" is along the same lines as it is in reference to Urtica which is the name for the nettles genus.
Germany and France agree (yay) and also the Netherlands think the orange colour making it look like a little fox as Kleiner Fuchs", "petit-renard" and "kleine vos" translates into small fox.