Black-veined White/ Sortåret Hvidvinge

Aporia crataegi

The Black-veined White is one of the large butterflies in Denmark. It has a wing-span of 50-65 mm. It looks at a distance like a Large White, but is known for its sailing flight and for the rounded white wings, which are almost without drawings, except the dark veins. The male has black veins, the female brown.

Light males of Green-veined White might superficially remind about the Black-veined White, but they are much smaller. There is little variation, except that the wing scales can be almost transparent.

The butterfly  flies from late May until late July. Its habitat is heath, pasture, moor and open forest and thicket with growth of hawthorn, rowan and similar plants and trees.

The half-grown caterpillars overwinter together in a flock on the host plant in a solid web of silk and leaves. The fodder plants are Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia), Hawthorn (Crataegus) Sloe (Prunus spinosus) and other bushes and trees.

Behaviour: the flight is calm and sailing, mostly in a few meters height. The butterfly seeks eagerly to fx Sticky catchfly ( DK: tjærenellike),Field scabious ( DK: blåhat)  and Marsh thistle ( DK: kærtidsel). The females are often courted by many males.

habitat: field Gl. Rye, Mid Jutland

Frequency and propagation: The Black-veined White was seen in many places on the Danish Isles until ab. 1950, buf after this time only in Jutland, where it was rare until ab. 1965. It has spread since and is now common in several sections of Jutland. However it is missing in large parts of South Jutland, West Jutland and North Jutland. After 1990 it has began showing at Zealand, and it is probable that it will appear again at Bornholm and maybe at Funen and Lolland.

The number of the Black-veined White varies greatly. The first specimens appear around 20 May and the butterfly disappears again around 1. August. The Black-veined White is mostly seen in Jutland, east and south of Limfjorden, while it was almost 50 years ago it was seen on the Isles -but it is in progress and is now found on the island of Samsø, (east of Århus), from where there is a short distance to the northern part of Funen. 



Source:
Michael Stoltze: Dagsommerfugle i Danmark, 1997.  Danmarks fugle og natur, Felthåndbogen, Aug. 2012.