Orange-tip
Anthocharis cardaminesThe Orange-tip is a delightfully uplifting spring butterfly, often seen fluttering through gardens, hedgerows and meadows. Males are easy to recognise by their bright orange wing tips, while females have more subtle black tips. Both share beautifully marbled green and white underwings that provide excellent camouflage. They favour damp habitats such as woodland glades and riverbanks, and are widespread across the UK. Females carefully choose where to lay their eggs, using their feet to test plants like Garlic Mustard and Cuckooflower, to ensure the most nutritious start to life for their caterpillars.
A signal of summer, with orange rockets
This bringer of joy flits through gardens and along hedgerows, lifting spirits and signalling that we won’t have to wait too much longer for summer to arrive.
The males are unmistakable – their wings have the bright orange tips that lend the butterfly its name. These are thought to warn predators that this butterfly will not be a tasty snack.
Although the females are slightly less showy, with black tips instead of orange, both males and females have a beautiful mottled green and white underwing. This helps them blend in to their environment but can be extremely helpful to butterfly spotters trying to tell them apart from other white butterflies.
Similarly to the Green-veined White, the green on its underwings is actually an illusion made up of yellow and black scales.
These bold beauties can be found across the whole of the UK. It’s fun to head out and look for their eggs on flowers like Garlic Mustard, Honesty and Cuckooflower – their eggs look like tiny little orange rockets!
If you do manage to spot an egg, you can be sure you’re looking at a healthy plant. Female Orange-tips use their feet to taste the plants before they lay, making sure they can meet the nutritional needs of their hungry caterpillars-to-be.
This butterfly likes damp habitats like meadows, woodland glades, hedgerows and riverbanks, and gardens. They’re really common across the UK, so you’re in with a good chance of one flapping by.
Vibes
Each butterfly is scored out of 100 across a set of traits, from how bold and visible it is to how far it travels or how particular it is about where it lives. These scores compare each species with the other butterflies in Britain, helping you see their differences at a glance. Here’s what makes the Orange-tip special.
Bright colours, bold patterns, and a love of the spotlight. Some butterflies just can’t help showing off.
Fast, or throwing some seriously impressive moves, these butterflies are in a flutter.
Always on guard, ready to hide or defend - these butterflies have self-preservation down to an art.
It’s ok to be a little… well, weird. These butterflies have been certified with the freak factor.
Like Goldilocks, everything has to be just right for these perfectionists.
Hard to spot and even harder to forget, these butterflies are a true one of a kind.
Bold, curious, and ready to explore, these brave butterflies live for the thrill and aren’t afraid to travel.
Weather-resistant, battle-hardened, and built to survive, these butterflies know how to take it on the wing.
Orange-tip eggs look like tiny orange rockets and are laid on plants carefully tested by the females.
Test your knowledge
How can you tell a male Orange-tip from a female?Male Orange-tips have distinctive bright orange tips on their wings, while females have black tips.
Does the Orange-tip get your vote?