Lime Hawk-moth vs Polar Fritillary

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Lime Hawk-moth Polar Fritillary
Scientific Name Mimas tiliae Boloria polaris
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Sphingidae Nymphalidae
Size 55-70 mm wingspan 30-38 mm wingspan
Habitat Underground Tundra & Arctic
Diet Herbivores Nectar Feeders
Regions Europe, western Asia Canadian Arctic, northern Alaska, Greenland, Svalbard, northern Scandinavia, Siberia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Lime Hawk-moth

A beautifully scalloped hawk-moth with variable pink-green to brown colouration and dark central wing bands. Adults do not feed at all, living only on energy stored as caterpillars.

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Did You Know?

Its wing colour varies enormously, from bright salmon pink to deep olive green, even within the same brood.

Polar Fritillary

A small butterfly with warm orange upperwings marked with dark spots and zigzag lines. The underside has a distinctive pattern of white and reddish-brown patches. It is restricted to true Arctic tundra habitats.

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Did You Know?

This is one of the most northerly butterflies in the world, found within a few hundred kilometers of the North Pole on Ellesmere Island.