Woodland Brown vs Ross's Alpine

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Woodland Brown Ross's Alpine
Scientific Name Lopinga achine Erebia rossii
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Nymphalidae Nymphalidae
Size 48-56 mm wingspan 34-42 mm wingspan
Habitat Woodlands Tundra & Arctic
Diet Wood Feeders Omnivores
Regions Central and eastern Europe, temperate Asia Arctic Alaska, northern Canada, Yukon Territory
Conservation Near Threatened Least Concern

Woodland Brown

A large brown butterfly with prominent yellow-ringed eyespots along the margins of both wings. It is one of Europe's most threatened butterflies due to changes in woodland management.

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Did You Know?

It requires a very specific habitat of partially shaded grassy woodland that is now vanishingly rare.

Ross's Alpine

A dark brown butterfly with small reddish-orange eye spots on the forewings. Its cryptic coloration allows it to blend with dark tundra soils and rocks. It has a slow, bobbing flight pattern close to the ground.

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Did You Know?

Named after the Arctic explorer Sir James Clark Ross, this butterfly takes two full years to develop from egg to adult.