This attractive little butterfly was a bit of a surprise during my trip to southern Spain, but a welcome one. It is primarily an African species but it has established itself along the Spanish coast where it can be seen in variable numbers, often in the autumn. It is small for a pierid (about the size of a Chalkhill Blue) and flies among hot rocky areas. In flight it could be mistaken for other whites as the orange tips are not always apparent, but at rest it is unmistakable.
Distribution: Southern Spain, from Cadiz to Murcia.
Flight Period: April-October in several generations, generally peaking in the autumn.
Habitat: Hot dry scrub, rocky gullies and hillsides, stony wasteground, coastal cliffs.
Foodplants: Caper (Capparis spinosa).
Nectar Sources: Not an avid nectar feeder, but will sometimes visit small Daisy-like flowers (Asteraceae).
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- Desert Orange Tip, Maro area, Spain, July 2020
