Another first one of this year: The small tortoiseshell - it has overwintered and is one of the first butterflies of the year.

#butterfly #smalltortoiseshell #overwitered #FirstOfTheYear #sunshine

A Small Tortoiseshell butterfly sips nectar from a Leopard's Bane flower on a sunny day in March. #leopardsbane #doronicum #springflowers #smalltortoiseshell #montysgarden

A Small Tortoiseshell butterfly sips nectar from a Leopard's Bane flower on a sunny day in March. #leopardsbane #doronicum #springflowers #smalltortoiseshell #montysgarden

Yesterday I saw my first #butterfly of the year. Today I managed to get a picture of a Small Tortoiseshell. And I've so far seen a Brimstone, another 3 small Tortoiseshells and 2 Peacocks. Its also an absolutely balmy 17⁰C here! Tropical....
#spring #smalltortoiseshell #warmdays #hotstuff

Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae ssp. turcica) (Staudinger, 1871) Turkey

Subspecies is found in Southern Europe, Caucasus, Transcaucasia, Kopet Dagh, Central Asia

Foodplants include Stinging Nettle and Small Nettle

#Butterflies #Aglaisurticaesspturcica #SmallTortoiseshell #Turkey #Lepidoptera

A small tortoiseshell hiding in plain sight on a similar coloured leaf

#ThrowbackThursday & #InsectThursday combined with a beautiful #SmallTortoiseshell from 28th February 2021. Hoping it's not too long until I see my first of 2026. #butterflies @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Beautiful blue hearts on the shaped tail ends of the hind wings on a small tortoiseshell, plus tiger striped bands on the top of the fore wings

#TitliTuesday with a closer look at #SmallTortoiseshell #butterflies with this pristine condition one in my garden last July, feeding on my buddleia. From blue heart wing ends to tiger striped shoulders. Fantastic! @savebutterflies.bsky.social #Lancashire #vitaminN

A photo of a Small Tortoiseshell butterfly, resting on a plant (Buddleia?). DYK: It is the national butterfly of Denmark.

Small Tortoiseshell Aglais urticae, of the family Nymphalidae. Sadly, they are all too rare nowadays.

#SmallTortoiseshell #Butterfly #Lepidoptera #ukwildlife

On the evening of Halloween, this one appeared from out of nowhere above my head, hung out for about an hour next to my computer/monitor, then promptly vanished into thin air... I've been looking for it ever since. #mystery #visitor #smalltortoiseshell

Das Bild zeigt einen bunten Schmetterling, der auf einem hellen, löchrigen Holzelement sitzt. Der Schmetterling hat orangefarbene Flügel mit schwarzen Flecken und blauen Akzenten an den Rändern. Der Hintergrund ist durch eine stilisierte Darstellung geprägt.

🌤️🦋 Kleiner Fuchs / Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae)🌼🦋

🖼️ Digital Painting / Drawing / Photo and Image Editing 👨‍🎨🎨💻 © 2025 by JÖ☈Ɠ ☈ÖŇŇ₳U 😎😉

#kleinerfuchs #smalltortoiseshell #aglaisurticae #butterfly #schmetterling

Painted lady butterfly

Large white butterfly

Red admiral butterfly

Small tortoiseshell butterfly

Butterflies are busy around the garden at the moment - #paintedlady #largewhite #redadmiral #smalltortoiseshell - making the most of late sunshine / warmth for feeding

#butterflies #butterfly #wildlifegarden #eastlothian

Stunning small tortoiseshell on my lunch walk today

It's a #butterfly day! 🤩😍🎉🦋 Took my lunch walk half an hour early to beat the forecast rain.... Worked a treat #butterflies everywhere including this stunning #smalltortoiseshell @savebutterflies.bsky.social #Lancashire

Fabulously fresh small tortoiseshells still seem this last week

#TitliTuesday with three fabulous #SmallTortoiseshell seen in the last week. #Leptember @savebutterflies.bsky.social #Lancashire and #SouthCumbria

Needs waxing, or a shave.

#Ireland #nature #butterfly #garden #SmallTortoiseshell #bokeh #macro #photography #Olympus #Zuiko #180mm #F2

A small tortoiseshell enjoying the strawflowers, they were being chased off by native hornets!

#SundayYellow with a #SmallTortoiseshell enjoying the strawflowers at #NTAttinghamPark on Friday. @savebutterflies.bsky.social #Shropshire

Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly - Aglais urticae.

I like how the plant in the background is lifting it's leaves to mimic the wings.

#Ireland #nature #butterfly #garden #SmallTortoiseshell #bokeh #macro #photography #Olympus #Zuiko #180mm #F2

Why are we seeing so many butterflies in Ireland this year? Improved weather conditions this summer have led to butterfly populations recovering after the crash in numbers in 2024

www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2...
#RTÉ #Butterfly #Summer #ClimateChange #Weather #GlobalWarming #Caterpillar #SmallTortoiseshell #DingySkipper #CrypticWoodWhite
#CloudedYellow #LargeWhite #SmallWhite #parasitoidwasp #NoMowMay

A stunning small tortoiseshell showing its tiger striped shoulders and blue wing edge hearts

#MacroMonday No apologies for #SmallTortoiseshell spam from me, this perfect beauty was enjoying creeping thistles at Lakeside, #Windermere yesterday. So happy to see a much better year for them locally. @macrohour.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

A pair of small tortoiseshell enjoying the thistles

It's a #butterfly day! 😍🤩🎉🦋 Delighted to say the #SmallTortoiseshell population is looking very healthy at #NTFellFoot, enjoying the creeping thistle at least a dozen seen, with more across the water at #Lakeside. #Windermere @savebutterflies.bsky.social

A small tortoiseshell butterfly with wings spread. Wings are mostly orange with black fringing and small specks of blue on the rear edge.

A small tortoiseshell from below - showing more of the black and brown darker lower side of its wing.

A small tortoiseshell with wings spread about to depart from the purple flower of the buddleja plant.

A purple budleja plant flower with a small orange and black butterfly feeding on it.

Some more close ups of some small tortoiseshell butterflies on the butterfly bush in the back garden. #butterfly #flutterby #butterflybush #buddleja #smalltortoiseshell #wildlife #nature #summer #garden #wildlifephotography

A Small Tortoiseshell butterfly, with reddish orange and black wings on a purple flower, with lots of green foliage in the background. It is a Buddleja plant (known as a butterfly bush). The butterfly is on top of the flower looking to the left with the clubbed antennae and proboscis visible as it snacks on some nectar.

A Small Tortoiseshell butterfly, with reddish orange and black wings, with blue highlights on a purple flower, with lots of green foliage in the background. It is a Buddleja plant (known as a butterfly bush). The butterfly is on top of the flower looking to the right with the clubbed antennae and proboscis visible as it snacks on some nectar.

A Small Tortoiseshell butterfly with orange, black, and blue wings spread open as it rests on the purple flower of a buddleja plant (Butterfly Bush)

Somewhat out of focus shot of a small tortoiseshell butterfly - showing the upper bright orange and black of one wing, and the darker brown and black lower side of the other wing. The curled proboscis stands out with the light.

Quick lens change and some close ups of the butterfly bush and some of the small tortoiseshell flutterbys snacking on it. #Butterfly #Flutterby #ButterflyBush #Buddleja #SmallTortoiseshell #Wildlife #Nature #summer #garden #wildlifephotography

Three butterflies, with reddish orange and black wings on a purple flower, with lots of green foliage in the background. They are Small Tortoiseshell Butterflies on a Buddleja plant (known as a butterfly bush)

One butterfly, with reddish orange and black wings, showing the much darker underside of the wing, on a purple flower, with lots of green foliage in the background. It is a Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly on a Buddleja plant (known as a butterfly bush)

The butterfly bush in the garden is earning its keep today, at least a dozen small tortoiseshells snacking at once. Of course the camera wanted to focus on anything except the butterflies. #Butterfly #Flutterby #ButterflyBush #Buddleja #SmallTortoiseshell #Wildlife #Nature #summer #garden

Small tortoiseshell butterflies feeding on creeping thistle

#TitliTuesday with wonderful #SmallTortoiseshell #butterflies seen on Sunday, a few snaps of the 4 seen, this used to be such a common #butterfly but their numbers have declined in the last couple of decades. @savebutterflies.bsky.social #vitaminN

Gorgeous small tortoiseshell feeding on creeping thistle

It's a #butterfly day! 🤩😍🎉🦋 After a wet start in #Preston the sun came out today and so did the #butterflies. 1 of 4 fresh #SmallTortoiseshell, along with peacock, holly blue, large & green veined white, red admiral & speckled wood. @savebutterflies.bsky.social bigbutterflycount.org

a very fiery coloured Small Tortoiseshell butterfly feeds on a buddleja flower.

This is the coolest coloured Small Tortoiseshell I've ever seen.
July 2025.

#smalltortoiseshell #britishbutterflies #Stunday #butterfly #insect #nature #wildlife #photography

Two Small Tortoiseshell Butterflies found near each other in the house, a bit too early for hibernation. a bit of warmth off my hand, and off they flew through the open window. #butterflies #smalltortoiseshell #butterflies #insects #nature #wildlife #britishbutterflies #CheshireUK

Small Tortoiseshell Butter in one of the house windows. #butterflies #smalltortoiseshell #butterflies #insects #nature #wildlife #britishbutterflies #CheshireUK

#smalltortoiseshell #butterfly #scotland #ukbutterflies #scotbutterflies #nescotland #ukwildlife

Small Tortoiseshell in Aberdeenshire this afternoon

#smalltortoiseshell #butterfly #scotland #ukbutterflies #scotbutterflies #nescotland #ukwildlife

#smalltortoiseshell #butterfly #scotland #ukbutterflies #scotbutterflies #nescotland #ukwildlife

a small tortoiseshell sitting around what appears to be some barren wasteland, but we actually know it more affectionately as the garden...

#smalltortoiseshell #butterfly #scotland #ukbutterflies #scotbutterflies #nescotland #ukwildlife

Small tortoiseshell buttefly cut to white. This insect has a brown central body, orangish eyes, and striped antenaae (black and white) with orange tips. The wings are brown, deep orange, fade to areas of bright yellow before hitting the outer margin/ The top wings have a dash of white. the rest are all deep orange until they hit the black cresents which border glowing turquoise blue semi circles along the upper and lower wing edges. Beyond these is a thin black line, then a thin brown line, then a white edge cut through with the veins that support the wing and come out diagonally from the thorax to the wing edge.

Detail of the hindwing of the Small tortoiseshell butterfly. Top corner is dark brown black, then there is an area of yellows and golds that blends into orange which gets darker towards the wing edge. It hits scalloped black edges which enclose bright sky blue patches of colour. Then another black stripe, a brown line, and the white wing edge. Painting this insect is a real treat as the colours are so vivid. I love the way the blue areas look against the orange, they almost glow. This is probably because the colours are opposite each other on the colour wheel. #sciart

Another detail of the Small tortoiseshell wing, this time tthe top of the top left wing, part of the margin above the costa. Deep oranges are cut across with solid black bands, and two little black spots. there are areas of light bright yellow at the edges of the black bands. Colour is built up with loads of tiny #watercolor brushstrokes

This #smalltortoiseshell #butterfly, #Aglais urticae.
is a commission for a chinaware company.

Painting this insect is a real treat as the colours are so vivid.

The species name is urticae (nettle) because the caterpillars often feed on stinging nettle.

#sciart #naturalscienceillustration

A fabulously fresh small tortoiseshell enjoying the flowers

#TitliTuesday what joy to see a number of #SmallTortoiseshell #butterflies in the last week, though tinged with sadness as I remember these being the most common as a child. This beauty at #SizerghCastleNT enjoying the kitchen garden. Incredibly fresh! @savebutterflies.bsky.social #vitaminN