Anthocharis cardamines
WINGSPAN 4 to 5cm (1⅝ to 2in)
HABITAT Meadows, gardens, riverbanks, hedgerows and woodland glades
DISTRIBUTION Most of Europe
LIFESPAN Around 4 weeks
MALES AND FEMALES Males are white with orange wing tips, females are also white with dark-grey wing tips
A sign of spring, the Orange Tip emerges in April, indicating that the seasons are finally changing and new growth is afoot. Once called ‘the lady of the woods’, in Britain, the French and German names L’Aurore and Aurorafalter also fittingly mean ‘rising sun’. The bright orange tips on the male’s wings are there to warn off predators, which is just as well as these ethereal creatures contain large amounts of mustard oil from their food plants. This means that although they look fabulous, they taste the opposite.