Small orange tip

Introduction: Small Orange Tips (Colotis (C.) evagore) are weak fliers so they tend to fly close to the ground, settling on flowers or on the ground. They prefer bush or open forests, steering clear of forests.

Distribution: Abundant in central and northern Namibia.

Breeding/Larval food: Caper-bush, Maerua (Capparaceae spp). The leafless wormbush (Cadaba aphylla) is a spiky, tangled shrub. It is blue-green in appearance and the flowers bloom a deep red-maroon.

Colouration: Heavy dark markings in the female which show more orange in the summer. Orange spots on a pale yellow undersides in the forewing of the female. There is much variation between forms.

On the wing: Throughout most of the year but mostly in the summer months.

Wingspan: Male and female: 30 to 35mm.