Nettle Tree Butterfly

Libythea celtis

July 2004, Provence

This is a fascinating butterfly, that I had never seen before July 2004, when I paid a fleeting visit to Provence. Although the picture shows a rather dull-looking insect, this is because the underside coloration is cryptic and designed to look like a dead leaf. The upperside, which I was unable to film, shows orange and yellow autumnal colours, especially on the forewing, which also has these colours on the (hidden here) underside. The palpi, not really visible well here, are extended into a 'snout', hence the common name for the family it belongs to - the snout butterflies. The nettle tree butterfly is Europe's only representative of this family. Another interesting structural feature is the hump on the hindwing, extending its profile above that of the forewing when the insect is at rest and further contributing to the illusion that the butterfly is a leaf.

The species is generally local, often uncommon, and has a southerly distribution in Europe.