Close-up of an orange tip butterfly egg (Anthocharis cardamines ovum) on a secondary larval foodplant, hairy rockcress (Arabis hirsuta)

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The primary larval foodplant for the orange tip butterfly is the cuckooflower (Cardamine pratensis), but several secondary foodplants may also be used when these are not available. Here, the female has laid her egg on hairy rockcress (Arabis hirsute).

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Size: 3069px × 4603px
Location: Stockbridge Down, Hampshire, UK
Photo credit: © Gillian Pullinger / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: anthocharis, arabis, brassicaceae, brassicales, britain, british, butterflies, butterfly, cardamines, close-, egg, eggs, england, english, flower, flowers, foodplant, hairy, hirsuta, insect, insects, kingdom, larval, lepidoptera, macro, nature, orange, orange-tip, ova, ovum, pieridae, plant, rockcress, secondary, stalk, stem, tip, uk, united, wild, wildflower, wildlife