A beautiful small tortoiseshell butterfly (Aglais urticae) graced our doorstep last week. They lay their eggs on nettle plants, which abound around here. Interestingly, the nettles belong to the genus Urtica, which features in the species name of this butterfly.
Though this butterfly is widespread in Europe and the U.K. its numbers seem to decline during drought conditions that affect the caterpillar's host plant. Global warming has been noted to be impacting populations in western Europe.
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