Introducing: the orange tip
Author, naturalist and lifelong lepidopterist Matthew Oates introduces us to one of the true heralds of spring
A male orange tip butterfly on garlic mustard
The male orange tip is the ultimate beginner’s butterfly. They are utterly distinctive, even from a distance, as they frenetically patrol paths and woodland edges in search of females. It’s impossible to misidentify them!
The females, though, lack the bright orange wing tips, are far less active, and can easily be mistaken for a green-veined white or a small white. Look for the green mottling on the hindwing undersides, which both sexes have (see photo above). This mottling provides superb camouflage when at roost, with their wings closed.
Orange tips used to fly from mid-April to mid-June but climate change has brought their flight season forward: they now start in late March and are all but finished by June. They can be found in both town and country, almost UK-wide, though they are solitary.
The caterpillars of orange tips feed during May and June on the seed pods of a variety of cruciferous plants, both wild and cultivated. Garlic mustard (also known as Jack-in-the-hedge) is a firm favourite, but they also lay eggs on two common garden plants: honesty and sweet rocket (also called dame’s violet). Orange tips readily breed in gardens.
Your first male orange tip of the year is one of the biggest Wow! moments of the spring. Get ready!
Matthew Oates is the author of (among many other things) The Butterfly Spotter’s Guide (National Trust Books, 2025), the ultimate beginner’s guide to our butterflies (plus some moths). Find him on X: @MatthewOates76
