# Orange-tip (*Anthocharis cardamines*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/orange-tip  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The orange-tip (Anthocharis cardamines) is an insect in the butterflies and moths subgroup, placed in the family Pieridae of the order Lepidoptera. It belongs to the genus Anthocharis, the superfamily Papilionoidea, the class Insecta and the phylum Arthropoda. Its scientific name authority is (Linnaeus, 1758), and the Catalogue of Life lists it as living, not extinct. Other English names for it are Orange tip and Orange tip butterfly.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | Not recorded |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Wingspan | 2.9 cm – 5.1 cm |
| Lifespan | Not recorded |
| Diet | Nectarivore |
| Main food | flowers |
| Habitat | forest, grassland, human_modified, shrubland, wetland |
| Young per litter or clutch | Not recorded |
| Active | By day (diurnal) |
| On the wing | March to August |
| Generations a year | One |
| Larval food plants | Brassicaceae family |
| Conservation status | Not recorded |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Arthropoda
- class: Insecta
- order: Lepidoptera
- family: Pieridae
- genus: Anthocharis
- species: *Anthocharis cardamines* (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms: *Anthocharis cardamines extensa*, *Anthocharis cardamines f. femininus*, *Anthocharis cardamines f. orientalis*, *Anthocharis cardamines f. speciosa*, *Anthocharis cardamines lasthenia*, *Anthocharis cardamines meridionalis*, *Anthocharis cardamines montivaga*, *Anthocharis cardamines ondrii*, *Anthocharis cardamines sajana*, *Euchloë cardamines*, *Euchloë cardamines meridionalis*, *Euchloe cardamines montivaga*, *Papilio cardamines*, *Pieris cardamines*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the orange-tip?

The orange-tip is an insect in the butterflies and moths subgroup, in the order Lepidoptera.

### What is the scientific name of the orange-tip?

Its scientific name is Anthocharis cardamines.

### Who named the orange-tip and when?

The scientific name authority is (Linnaeus, 1758).

### What family does the orange-tip belong to?

It belongs to the family Pieridae, in the superfamily Papilionoidea.

### Is the orange-tip extinct?

No. The Catalogue of Life lists it as living, not extinct.

### What other names does the orange-tip have?

It is also called the Orange tip and the Orange tip butterfly.

## Sources

- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [LepTraits 1.0: a globally comprehensive dataset of butterfly traits](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.19874602.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Shirey, V., Larsen, E., Doherty, A. et al. (2022) LepTraits 1.0: a globally comprehensive dataset of butterfly traits. Scientific Data 9: 382. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-022-01473-5. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.19874602.v1
- [TraitCH: a multi-taxa functional trait dataset for Switzerland and Europe](https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15063844), CC BY 4.0, 2.0. Chauvier, Y., Adde, A., Bergamini, A. et al. (2025) TraitCH: a multi-taxa functional trait dataset for Switzerland and Europe. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15063844
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Orange-tip (Anthocharis cardamines). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/orange-tip