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Text and photographs protected by Copyright © Adrian Hoskins 2007, and must not be published in part or in whole elsewhere without prior written permission from the author.
Butterflies of Britain & Europe
 
Large Heath
Coenonympha tullia MULLER, 1764
Family - NYMPHALIDAE
subfamily - SATYRINAE
Tribe - SATYRINI
 
 introduction | habitats | lifecycle | adult behaviour
 
Coenonympha tullia tullia, Whixall Moss, Shropshire, England
 
Introduction
 
The Large Heath is distributed across much of northern Europe, occurring in northern Britain, Scandinavia, north-east France, Germany, and eastwards across temperate Asia to Amurland. It also occurs across much of North America from Alaska to California in the west, to Newfoundland in the east.
 
There are arguably 3 subspecies in Britain - tullia, found in north-east England, south-east Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland; rothliebii, found at a single site in Yorkshire; and scotica, found in northern Scotland. The presence of transitional forms however suggests that the species forms a cline, and that sub-species designations are invalid.
 
Coenonympha tullia tullia, Whixall Moss, Shropshire, England
 
The butterfly is subject to considerable geographic variation - examples from Shropshire and Cumbria tending to have very prominent ocelli on the underside wings, while those from Scotland ( "sub-species" scotica ) are virtually devoid of ocelli, and resemble over-sized Small Heaths.
 
Coenonympha tullia "scotica", Isle of Skye, Scotland
 
Habitats
 
In Britain this species is restricted to boggy moorlands, peat mosses and raised blanket bogs at altitudes from sea level to 800 metres. Mainland sites are characterised by the presence of scattered birch and pine trees, moorland shrubs such as bilberry, bog myrtle and willow; and extensive flushes of cotton grass. The butterfly is also found on most Scottish islands, including the Outer Hebrides - desolate windswept lowlands, totally devoid of natural tree cover.
 
The butterfly is still widespread on the Scottish moors, but in northern England, Wales, and Ireland, many former sites have been destroyed due to drainage and conversion to farmland.
 
All Large Heath habitats are waterlogged, and often very treacherous in nature. Visitors are strongly advised to take the greatest caution, and not to wander alone.
 
Coenonympha tullia tullia, Whixall Moss, Shropshire, England
 
Lifecycle
 
In Britain there is a single generation of adults, emerging in late June or early July, but in sub-arctic regions it can take 2 years to complete the lifecycle. The butterflies are very short-lived - the average lifespan being only about 3 or 4 days.
 
The egg, which is straw coloured and spherical with a flattened top, is laid singly on the stems or blades of white-beaked sedge Rhynchospora alba, cotton grass Eriophorum angustifolium, or more rarely on purple moor grass Molina caerulea. The eggs hatch after about 2 weeks.
 
The caterpillars hatch in late July, and feed diurnally until the cold nights of autumn induce them to enter hibernation. In the extreme north of their range they hibernate when very small, while further south they normally enter hibernation in the 2nd or 3rd instar. In the spring, after awakening from hibernation they often feed diurnally, and can be found at rest on the upper part of the stems of sedges.
 
The fully grown larva is green, with a dark green dorsal stripe, and a pair of white lines along each side. The head is green, and the anal prongs, used for ejecting faecal pellets, are pink.
 
The chrysalis is bright green, with blackish stripes in the wing cases, and hangs by the cremaster from the stems of grasses, sedges or shrubs. The pupal stage lasts for about 3 weeks.
 
Coenonympha tullia tullia, Whixall Moss, Shropshire, England
 
Adult behaviour

 

Large Heaths often rest for long periods, typically settling on mosses or amidst tussocks of grasses or sedges. They often bask amongst leaf litter or on patches of bare peat soil, with wings closed and tilted over to one side. They have a gentle bobbing flight, and are reluctant to settle while the sun shines, but dive into the grasses as soon as the sun is obscured by cloud.

 

Both sexes nectar at bell heather, and less commonly at bramble flowers. If disturbed they can fly rapidly, covering distances of up to 200 metres before settling again.

 

Coenonympha tullia tullia, Whixall Moss, Shropshire, England

 

Copulation occurs in late morning and lasts for about an hour, during which time the pair will sometimes fly, with the male carrying the female in flight.

 

Overnight or during spells of overcast weather the butterflies roost either deep amongst grass tussocks, or clinging to twigs and stems of birch saplings or bog myrtle bushes.

 

Coenonympha tullia tullia, at rest on a birch sapling, Whixall Moss, Shropshire, England
 
                                                       
Almost every British and European species of butterfly is declining rapidly in numbers, due in most cases to loss or degradation of habitats.
 
You can help to reverse the decline by supporting conservation organisations which purchase and manage habitats as nature reserves, and which lobby government at local, national and international levels, often very successfully, to bring about changes in farming, forestry and urban development policies.
 
Please contact the conservation organisations for advice on how you can help protect British and European butterflies and their habitats. You may be able to offer practical help e.g. by monitoring butterfly populations or helping to manage nature reserves. Donations to these organisations enable them to employ ecologists and biologists. Even if you are unable to provide such help, merely having your name on the membership list can be a powerful tool for conservation organisations wishing to demonstrate the levels of support they have for their policies.

 

 
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