| Family | Nymphalidae |
|---|---|
| Subfamily | Nymphalinae |
| Genus | Nymphalis |
| Species | polychloros |
| Authority | (Linnaeus, 1758) |
| English Name | Large Tortoiseshell |
| European Red List 2010 | Least Concern (LC) |
|---|---|
| EU 27 Red List 2010 | Vulnerable (VU) |
| European Red List 2025 | Least Concern (LC) |
| EU 27 Red List 2025 | Least Concern (LC) |
| Habitats Directive | |
| Bern Convention | |
| CITES |
The Large Tortoiseshell is found in warm, sunny places in deciduous woods and near groups of trees. Elms (Ulmus spp.), willows (Salix spp.) and sometimes fruit trees or Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) are used as foodplants. The female, usually choosing a twig from the previous year, deposits a large group of eggs in a band around it. The caterpillars live together in silken tents until the last larval instar when they become solitary. They are fond of sitting on the sunny side of the foodplant or on branches in the sun. The caterpillar is dull, dark-grey with rust-coloured stripes along its back and sides, and long rust-brown spines. The pupa hangs from a twig in the foodplant, looking very like a withered leaf. The newly-emerged butterflies often roam. The Large Tortoiseshell hibernates as a butterfly in cool, dark places such as in a hollow tree. It has one generation a year.
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