Stats

Lifespan: Up to 10 months
Size: Medium
Diet: Herbivore
Activity: Diurnal
Social: Solitary
Biome: Temperate forest
Range: Western North America
Movement: Flight
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Camouflage
Status: Common

About

The California Tortoiseshell is a burnt-orange butterfly of western forests known for wild boom-and-bust population cycles, with some years bringing mass migrations of millions fluttering over mountain passes in a single day. Its wings are ragged-edged and mottled dark along the borders, giving it a tortoiseshell-like pattern that fades to camouflage-brown on the underside when at rest.

Life cycle

1.
egg
A tiny ribbed egg laid on the underside of a host-plant leaf, hatching within days.
2.
caterpillar
A voracious caterpillar feeds and molts through several instars, growing rapidly.
3.
chrysalis
A chrysalis hangs sealed and still while the body remodels into a winged adult.
4.
butterfly
A winged adult with full scales and coloration, ready to fly and mate.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Genus: Nymphalis
Species: Nymphalis californica