California Tortoiseshell

photo used with permission of www.laspilitas.com

California Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis californica){C}

Medium-large butterfly, bright orange with a few black blotches and black trailing edges. All California Tortoiseshells on the BC coast are migratory into the area, as wild ceanothus, the larval foodplant, does not occur here. Adults feed on fir sap, mud puddles, and fruit.

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Lasqueti Butterflies

This site is for butterflies that have been seen and identified on Lasqueti Island.

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