Aporia-crataegi_1

Description:

Aporia crataegi L.Black-veined White, DE BaumweilingSlo.: glogova belinkaDat.: June 15. 2015Lat.: 46.36086 Long.: 13.70188Code: Bot_887/2015_IMG8273Habitat: Mountain pasture, moderately southeast inclined mountain slope; calcareous ground, dry and sunny place, exposed to direct rain, average precipitations ~ 3.000 mm/year, average temperature 7-9 deg C, elevation 620 m (2.050 feet), alpine phytogeographical region. Place: Lower Trenta valley, between villages Soa and Trenta, right bank of river Soa, 'Na melu' place, East Julian Alps, Posoje, Slovenia EC.Comment: Aporia crataegi is another butterfly, which is widespread (from America over Europe and Asia to Japan) and quite common. These butterflies are frequently seen also in Trenta valley. They are quite big and beautiful in spite of the fact that they have no colorful decoration on their wings. Thin, almost completely translucent, silvery wings supported by a perfectly designed structure of black 'bones', hairy, black body and long antlers, white at the tip, could only be admired. The butterfly's caterpillars are bound to two feeding plants blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) and hawthorn (Crataegus sp.). Both are common in Trenta valley. Butterflies feed on nectar of flowers of many species including Betonica alopecuros (yellow flowers), Valeriana collina (whitish-pink flowers) and Pimpinella saxifraga (white) as shown on my pictures. All of them show females. Their front edge of forewings is brown and about one half of the terminal thicker part of the antlers is white, while males have black and white wings edge and only the tip of the thicker terminal part of the antlers is white spotted. Aporia crataegi were once common in southern England. However, in 1920s they suddenly completely disappeared. Several attempts to reintroduce them failed. The real explanation why this happened remains unknown. The same is true for many regions in Europe where this species is in dramatic decline.Ref.:(1) www.learnaboutbutterflies.com/Europe%20-%20Aporia%20crata...(2) www.lepiforum.de/lepiwiki.pl?Aporia_Crataegi(3) Fauna Europas, Bestimmungs lexikon, George Westermann Velag, Braunschweig (1997), translated to Slovenian, Mladinaka Knjiga, Ljubljana (1981).