Orange-Tip

Orange-Tip

Anthocharis cardamines

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Aigüestortes National Park

In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%

16 Verified sightings at Aigüestortes National Park From 2019 to 2026
480 In all 17 parks
April Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Orange-Tip

Anthocharis cardamines, the orange tip, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae, which contains about 1,100 species. A. cardamines is mainly found throughout Europe and temperate Asia (Palearctic). The males feature wings with a signature orange pigmentation, which is the origin of A. cardamines' common name.

Males and females of this species occupy different habitats: males mostly frequent the edges of forests whereas females frequent meadows. A. cardamines feeds on most plants found within its habitat but the females selectively oviposit on young inflorescence of crucifers.

Mating is usually controlled by females as virgin females found in flight are always pursued by males immediately. Females can signal different meanings to the approaching males by using their abdomen. There is evidence that mated females have an anti-aphrodisiac and that their usage of the abdomen has a closely related function in presenting these pheromones to males.

This species has been affected by changing temperatures, and its first appearance has shifted forward 17.3 days in the Spring. The common name derives from the bright orange tips of the male's forewings. The males are a common sight... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Białowieża National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
~30%
2 Biebrza National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
~20%
3 Aigüestortes National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~20%
4 Mercantour National Park 🇫🇷 France
~20%
5 Triglav National Park 🇸🇮 Slovenia
~20%
6 Cairngorms National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~20%
7 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
~20%
8 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
9 Hohe Tauern National Park 🇦🇹 Austria
~10%
10 Vanoise National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
11 Ecrins National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
12 Picos de Europa National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
13 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
14 Sierra de Guadarrama National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
15 Snowdonia National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
16 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~10%
17 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Birmingham 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~30%
2 Manchester 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~30%
3 Liverpool 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~20%
4 Jerusalem 🇮🇱 Israel
~20%
5 Copenhagen 🇩🇰 Denmark
~20%
6 Prague 🇨🇿 Czechia
~10%
7 Paris 🇫🇷 France
~10%
8 Leeds 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
9 London 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
10 Kharkiv 🇺🇦 Ukraine
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing an Orange-Tip in Aigüestortes National Park?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report an Orange-Tip sighting in Aigüestortes National Park on a given day, based on 16 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 85th most-seen of the 256 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see an Orange-Tip in Aigüestortes National Park?

April and May

In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report an Orange-Tip in Aigüestortes National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February–March and July–December, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see an Orange-Tip?

Between 11 am and 2 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Orange-Tip sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Aigüestortes National Park the best place to see an Orange-Tip?

3rd of 17

Of the 17 parks where we can rate Orange-Tip sightings, Aigüestortes National Park ranks 3rd at about 20%. The best odds are in Białowieża National Park (Poland, about 30%) and Biebrza National Park (Poland, about 20%).

Which relatives of the Orange-Tip live in Aigüestortes National Park?

Same family: Pieridae

The closest relatives of the Orange-Tip that you can see in Aigüestortes National Park (family Pieridae, Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs) are Black-Veined White (about 40%), Clouded Yellow (about 40%) and Large White (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Orange-Tip sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Orange-Tip is recorded against all the insects logged in Aigüestortes National Park (16 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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