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Darwin's Alpine Heath (Coenonympha darwiniana) Until some 10-15 years ago, this would have been considered Coenonympha gardetta (also called Alpine Heath as common name). However, recent studies have agreed to consider this a species on its own. It is only found on the South side of the Alps.<br />
<br />
In the Biella region of Piemont, Italy, they are quite abundant.<br />
<br />
Further info<br />
* In German: <a href="https://lepiforum.org/wiki/page/Coenonympha_darwiniana" rel="nofollow">https://lepiforum.org/wiki/page/Coenonympha_darwiniana</a><br />
* In Italian: <a href="https://www.farfalleitalia.it/sito/972/index.php" rel="nofollow">https://www.farfalleitalia.it/sito/972/index.php</a><br />
* In English: <a href="http://www.pyrgus.de/Coenonympha_darwiniana_en.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.pyrgus.de/Coenonympha_darwiniana_en.html</a><br />
<br />
For reference, here&#039;s a shot of C. gardetta:<br />
<figure class="photo"><a href="https://www.jungledragon.com/image/170223/alpine_heath_coenonympha_gardetta.html" title="Alpine Heath (Coenonympha gardetta)"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/8383/170223_thumb.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1759968010&Signature=gwLOSDkDwAWUStRZorysMNYdzoc%3D" width="200" height="134" alt="Alpine Heath (Coenonympha gardetta) After I wrote the description about (Darwin&#039;s) Alpine Heath, I realized that there was yet no example of C. gardetta present here, so I quickly checked my archives for a finding from the Bergamo region of the Italian Alps two years ago.<br />
<br />
Even though the two species seem to be considered as one here, recent literature disagrees.<br />
Further information:<br />
* In German: https://lepiforum.org/wiki/page/Coenonympha_gardetta<br />
* In Italian: https://www.farfalleitalia.it/sito/973/index.php<br />
* In English: http://www.pyrgus.de/Coenonympha_gardetta_en.html<br />
<br />
For reference, here&#039;s a shot og C. darwiniana<br />
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/170222/coenonympha_darwiniana.html Alpine heath,Coenonympha gardetta,Geotagged,Italy,Summer" /></a></figure> Alpine heath,Coenonympha darwiniana,Coenonympha gardetta,Darwin's Heath,Falter,Geotagged,Insekt,Italien,Italy,Schmetterling,Summer,Tiere,butterfly,mariposa Click/tap to enlarge PromotedSpecies introCountry intro

Darwin's Alpine Heath (Coenonympha darwiniana)

Until some 10-15 years ago, this would have been considered Coenonympha gardetta (also called Alpine Heath as common name). However, recent studies have agreed to consider this a species on its own. It is only found on the South side of the Alps.

In the Biella region of Piemont, Italy, they are quite abundant.

Further info
* In German: https://lepiforum.org/wiki/page/Coenonympha_darwiniana
* In Italian: https://www.farfalleitalia.it/sito/972/index.php
* In English: http://www.pyrgus.de/Coenonympha_darwiniana_en.html

For reference, here's a shot of C. gardetta:

Alpine Heath (Coenonympha gardetta) After I wrote the description about (Darwin's) Alpine Heath, I realized that there was yet no example of C. gardetta present here, so I quickly checked my archives for a finding from the Bergamo region of the Italian Alps two years ago.<br />
<br />
Even though the two species seem to be considered as one here, recent literature disagrees.<br />
Further information:<br />
* In German: https://lepiforum.org/wiki/page/Coenonympha_gardetta<br />
* In Italian: https://www.farfalleitalia.it/sito/973/index.php<br />
* In English: http://www.pyrgus.de/Coenonympha_gardetta_en.html<br />
<br />
For reference, here's a shot og C. darwiniana<br />
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/170222/coenonympha_darwiniana.html Alpine heath,Coenonympha gardetta,Geotagged,Italy,Summer

    comments (1)

  1. Great photo and thank you for the excellent notes. Posted one month ago

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Coenonympha darwiniana is a brush-footed butterfly in the Coenonympha genus.

Similar species: Moths And Butterflies
Species identified by Ferdy Christant
View pysailor's profile

By pysailor

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Uploaded Jul 11, 2025. Captured Jul 8, 2025 13:01 in M2CR+48 Veglio, Province of Biella, Italy.
  • Canon EOS R5
  • f/8.0
  • 1/400s
  • ISO125
  • 400mm