Brush-footed butterflies · Denmark

Marbled white

Melanargia galathea

Marbled white is rare in Denmark. Wing span: 43-54 mm. Imago present in June-August, larva overwinters from August to June. Flower-rich grassland areas, typically heathland or meadows.

Status in this countryRare in DenmarkNA (Not applicable)

Flight period

Imago in June-August; the larva overwinters from August to June.

Habitat

Flower-rich grassland areas, typically heathlands or meadows.

Identifying features

Wingspan: 43-54 mm. The upperside of the wings is white with many toothed, black patches/spots.

Similar species

In flight, it can be confused with various cabbage butterflies.

Distribution

From Denmark, there are two finds of marbled white, one from Tryggelev Nor, found in 1996 by Kasper Nyberg, and one from the dyke at Bøtø, d.

Biology

The butterfly (Imago) is strongly attracted to several different nectar sources, but especially ragweed. It is a sluggish and slow flyer, which is usually only active in sunlight.