Large heath  (Coenonympha tullia)

Listed on Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, with respect to sale only (2).

Adult large heath butterflies always have their wings closed when at rest; males are smoky orange-brown in colour, and females are paler (1). Both sexes have pale brown undersides featuring a creamy white band and a number of eyespots (1). The green caterpillar is around 2.5 centimetres in length and has two white bands along its sides (3).

Found in Europe, Asia, Canada and western USA, the large heath has undergone serious declines throughout much of Europe. In Britain, it is largely restricted to Scotland and the far north of England with a few small populations persisting in central and eastern England (2) and north Wales (4).

You can view distribution information for this species at the National Biodiversity Network Gateway.

Inhabits wet, boggy habitats such as lowland raised bogs, upland blanket bogs and damp acidic moorland where the main foodplant, hare's tail cottongrass (Eriophorum vaginatum) occurs (2). Abundant sources of the most important adult nectar source, cross-leaved heath (Erica tetralix) are also essential (2).

The flight period occurs between mid-June and early August. The large heath is single-brooded; eggs are laid singly at the base of the foodplant on dead stems. The larvae hibernate when still small, and emerge in March to complete their development (2). Pupae develop towards the end of April or early May and are attached to stems. Adults emerge around a month later (3).

Huge losses of suitable habitat have occurred throughout Europe as a result of large-scale drainage works, commercial forestry plantations and peat extraction. Inappropriate habitat management, such as overgrazing, may be degrading once suitable habitat and causing losses (2).

Lowland raised bogs and blanket bogs are listed under the EC Habitats Directive, and peatland habitats have been the focus of a number of conservation campaigns. Despite this, peat is still extracted for use in gardens and in horticulture. As large populations of species are more resistant to local extinctions, it is important that large areas of remaining habitats must be conserved and suitable management practices encouraged. Homeowners can help by choosing to use peat-free alternatives in their gardens (2).

There may be further information about this species available via the National Biodiversity Network Gateway.

View information on this species at the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre.

For more information on the large heath see:

• Butterfly Conservation:
  www.butterfly-conservation.org/
• Butterfly Conservation's Species Action Plan:
  http://www.butterfly-conservation.org/downloads.asp?PageId=73
• Asher, J., Warren, M., Fox, R., Harding, P., Jeffcoate, G., and Jeffcoate, S. (2001) The Millennium Atlas of Butterflies in Britain and Ireland. Oxford University Press, Oxford.