Male, Switzerland, July 2006
Female, Switzerland, July 2006 (under the wing of a small apollo)
Male, Switzerland, July 2006
Upperside of a male found dead, Switzerland, July 2006
Male, Switzerland, July 2003
The moorland clouded yellow is rarer than the mountain clouded yellow,
preferring rather more remote, heathy sites. It does not occur near me
in Switzerland but does fly further along the Rhone Valley, where these
individuals were photographed. The male is a much yellower, cleaner
butterfly than the mountain clouded yellow; the female is whiter. Both
sexes lack white spots in the border of the forewing and have neat
black edging on the spots on the underside. The species is actually
easily identifiable in flight, when the characteristic plain border is
very obvious. It occasionally settles but does have a useful habit of
flying close to watchers, as if to watch them, so gives plenty of
opportunity for a firm identification even when it is restless.