Greenish yellow with two silver-white spots. Always rests with wings closed. Upperwings are deep orange-yellow with broad dark wing margins.
The Clouded Yellow is one of the truly migratory European butterflies and a regular visitor to Britain and Ireland. Although some of these golden-yellow butterflies are seen every year, the species is famous for occasional mass immigrations and subsequent breeding, which are fondly and long remembered as ''Clouded Yellow Years''. A small proportion of females are pale yellow (form helice), which can be confused with the rarer Pale and Berger's Clouded Yellows.
Size and Family
Family – Whites and yellows
Large Sized
Wing Span Range (male to female) - 57-62mm
Conservation status
UK BAP statusNot assessed
European statusNot assessed
Caterpillar Foodplants
A range of leguminous plants is used, including wild and cultivated clovers (Trifolium spp.), Lucerne (Medicago sativa), and less frequently, Common Bird's-foot-trefoil (Lotus corniculatus).
Distribution
Countries – England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales
Anywhere, but most commonly close to the coast in southern England.
Distribution Trend Since 1970’s = -+144%.
Habitat
Clouded Yellows may be seen in any habitat, but congregate in flowery places where the larval foodplants grow. As clovers are still commonly cultivated, the Clouded Yellow is one of the few butterfly species that has no difficulty locating breeding habitat in the modern farmed countryside. In southern England there is a preference for unimproved chalk downland
