Pierids (Whites & Yellows)
A large family of light or brightly coloured butterflies of medium size, containing some of the few species regarded as pests by gardeners and vegetable growers. Skittle-shaped eggs, laid either singly or in clusters, give rise to voracious, usually green caterpillars which feed aggressively on vegetable matter. Containing unpleasant chemicals to deter predators, those larvae that survive form chrysalises with pointed or beak-shaped heads held by a silken pad and girdle, varying in colour according to the background on which they are formed. .
Clouded Yellow
Clouded Yellow

Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus)
Family: Pieridae
Subfamily: Coliadinae
Tribe: Coliadni
Genus: Colias
Species: croceus
Subspecies: croceus, helice

Key ID Features:
Both sexes deep marigold yellow upper side.
The female is usually slightly darker than the male but can occur in the white helice form.
The underside of the fore-wing bears a row of black spots decreasing in size whilst the underside of the hind wing has a white centred figure of eight pattern.

Seen in UK: April-October

The Clouded Yellow is primarily an immigrant to the UK, originating from north Africa and southern Europe, with numbers varying greatly from year to year – an estimated 36,000 butterflies appearing in one of the infrequent “Clouded Yellow” years in 1947. In more recent years, it has been shown that this species has successfully overwintered in the south of England. However, it is believed that the majority of individuals perish, since both larva and pupa of this continuously-brooded species are easily killed by damp and frost. In good years this species can produce up to 3 generations in the UK. In flight, this species is often mistaken for one of the commoner “whites”, but the orange-yellow colour is quite distinctive, even in flight, and unlike any other species. The Clouded Yellow has a distribution befitting a highly-migratory species, and can be found anywhere in the British Isles. Many immigrants remain near the coast where they feed, mate, and lay eggs. Others disperse inland and this species is found in both Scotland and Ireland in good years.

Text (c) UK Butterflies, used with permission
For more information click here

Location: Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire

Photographer: Tim Tapley

Clouded Yellow

Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus)
Family: Pieridae
Subfamily: Coliadinae
Tribe: Coliadni
Genus: Colias
Species: croceus
Subspecies: croceus, helice

Key ID Features:
Both sexes deep marigold yellow upper side.
The female is usually slightly darker than the male but can occur in the white helice form.
The underside of the fore-wing bears a row of black spots decreasing in size whilst the underside of the hind wing has a white centred figure of eight pattern.

Seen in UK: April-October

The Clouded Yellow is primarily an immigrant to the UK, originating from north Africa and southern Europe, with numbers varying greatly from year to year – an estimated 36,000 butterflies appearing in one of the infrequent “Clouded Yellow” years in 1947. In more recent years, it has been shown that this species has successfully overwintered in the south of England. However, it is believed that the majority of individuals perish, since both larva and pupa of this continuously-brooded species are easily killed by damp and frost. In good years this species can produce up to 3 generations in the UK. In flight, this species is often mistaken for one of the commoner “whites”, but the orange-yellow colour is quite distinctive, even in flight, and unlike any other species. The Clouded Yellow has a distribution befitting a highly-migratory species, and can be found anywhere in the British Isles. Many immigrants remain near the coast where they feed, mate, and lay eggs. Others disperse inland and this species is found in both Scotland and Ireland in good years.

Text (c) UK Butterflies, used with permission
For more information click here

Location: Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire

Photographer: Tim Tapley