Butterfly ID
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Field guide · Denmark
Whites and yellows · Denmark

Pale clouded yellow

Colias hyale

pale cloudedyyellow is rare in Denmark. Wingspan: 43–50 mm. Small numbers arrive from the south or southeast in May–June and lay eggs around the country. It travels far and fast and may be seen anywhere, but particularly favours warm, dry places with many flowers and moderately tall grass.

Status in this countryRare in DenmarkNA (Not applicable)
Pale clouded yellow

Flight period

Small numbers of pale clouded yellow arrive in Denmark from the south or southeast in May–June and lay eggs around the country, mainly in the southern areas.

Habitat

pale cloudedyyellow travels far and fast and can be seen anywhere, but is particularly attracted to warm, dry sites with abundant flowers and moderately tall grass. Gravel pits, coastal embankments, railway yards and roadside verges are typical places to find it.

Identifying features

Wingspan: 43–50 mm. The male is pale yellow with a black forewing border. The hindwing border has varying amounts of black scaling and may be almost absent.

Similar species

It can particularly be confused with the southern summer butterfly. It can be distinguished from this butterfly by its wing shape, which is much rounder in the southern summer butterfly, and by the extent of the outermost yellow spots in the dark band, which are continuous in the southern summer butterfly. Pale clouded yellow is known from common clouded yellow by its colour and by the fact that the male of common clouded yellow does not have yellow spots.

Distribution

Rare, but can be observed throughout Denmark. Most individuals migrate south and east, and are therefore most frequently seen around Lolland-Falster, Vordingborg, Stevns, and Amager.

Biology

Pale clouded yellow is a strong-flying migratory species, adapted to clear areas and wastelands with pioneer plants such as lucerne and scabiosa. Pale clouded yellow has many successive generations throughout the summer, and it becomes increasingly common throughout the summer, during which it also spreads further north.