The apollo butterfly is one that not many people have seen,
due to its remote habitat, and it is also an endangered species.
Apollos are found in mountainous and hilly regions in
central Europe, Spain, Scandinavia and Asia. They have furry bodies as
protection against the cold at high altitudes.
The food plant of the Apollo is stonecrop. The female
butterfly lays hundreds of eggs in July and August and these hatch out in
August and September. However, the hatching is only partial, because the
caterpillars will stay inside the eggs until the spring. They will then moult
up to five times before they are ready to pupate.
Efforts are being made in many places to protect these rare
and very attractive butterflies, which have a wingspan of 5-10 centimetres.
Habitats are being managed and the use of insecticides reduced in their
breeding areas.
© John Welford
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