Scolitantides orion

Hostplant: Hylotelephium maximum

Lifecycle and behavior: The female lay eggs mostly on the upperside of the leaves, and often close to the base. I found eggs on the hostplant in end of May which took 3-4 days to hatch. The larva feed on leaves, often burrowing inside the thick leaves. It molts 3 times. The larval stage lasted around 4 weeks. They hibernate as pupa and used 2,5-3 weeks to hatch after being taken out of hibernation. The adult butterfly has its main flight period in May into beginning of June.

Note: This species is protected by Norwegian law! It occurs only in small areas in Halden along Iddefjorden. My breeding stock was collected in Sweden, where the species is not protected.