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Araschnia levana · mažasis dilgėlinukas

EN · map butterfly DE · Landkärtchen LT · mažasis dilgėlinukas LV · mazais nātru raibenis PL · rusałka kratkowiec

This little butterfly is best-known for having two forms, levana and prorsa that represent the spring and summer broods respectively. levana individuals are primarily orange in colour, giving them the appearance of a small fritillary, whereas prorsa individuals look more like a very small White Admiral. The eggs are laid in long strings, one on top of the other, on the underside of stinging nettles, the larval food plant. It is thought that these strings of eggs mimic the flowers of the nettles, thereby evading predators. The larvae feed gregariously on Urtica dioica and hibernate as pupae.