Invertebrates
Brimstone Butterfly
Gonepteryx rhamni · also called common brimstone
On the first warm day of March, a sulphur-yellow brimstone flutters along a hedgerow, a butterfly that spent the winter hidden among ivy and now looks like a drifting leaf.
Overview
The brimstone butterfly, Gonepteryx rhamni, is a Least Concern butterfly of woodland edges and hedgerows across Europe, North Africa, and temperate Asia. Its leaf-shaped wings, year-long adult life, and early appearance in spring make it a harbinger of the season.
A butterfly that looks like a leaf
When it rests with its wings closed, the brimstone’s shape and veining make it almost indistinguishable from a leaf of the shrubs where it hibernates.
Status
Least Concern, widespread across a large range.
Brimstone Butterfly: common questions
How can you tell male and female brimstones apart?
Males are bright sulphur yellow, while females are a pale greenish-white.
How long does a brimstone butterfly live?
It can live for about a year as an adult, one of the longest lives of any European butterfly.
Why is the brimstone hard to spot at rest?
Its wings are shaped and veined like leaves, which give it excellent camouflage among foliage.
What do brimstone caterpillars eat?
They feed on buckthorn and alder buckthorn.