Description
The Large Tortoiseshell caterpillar is dark brown to almost black, with a yellow-orange dorsal stripe running along the entire back. Along the flanks and back, it bears several rows of clearly visible brownish-orange spines. One of its most remarkable traits is its behaviour: caterpillars live in dense colonies during the early larval stages, which can lead to confusion with processionary caterpillars. They only disperse at the final larval stage.
Information
Host plants
Distribution
All of Europe except the far north.