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Dark Clouded Yellow
Huldenberg, Belgium (Oct, 2013).
The upperside is golden to orange yellow with a broad black margin on all four wings and a black spot near the center forewing. The underside lacks the black borders and is lighter, with a more greenish tint, particularly on the forewings. In the forewing underside is the same dark spot as on the upperside, but often with a light center; the hindwing underside has a white center spot, often with a smaller white or dark dot immediately above it. Sometimes, a row of black dots occurs on the underwings' outer margins, corresponding to where the black border ends on the upperside, Females differ from the males in having yellow spots along the black borders on the upperside.
Habitat: The Common Clouded Yellow's breeding range is North Africa and southern Europe and eastwards through Turkey into the Middle East but it occurs throughout much of Europe as a summer migrant, in good years individuals reaching Scandinavia. I think this has been a very good year in terms of weather for the butterflies which reflects on the fact that this beauty has reached northern parts of Europe than what it is used to.
"Colias croceus" is a small butterfly of the Pieridae family, that is, the yellows and whites. In India and nearby regions it is known as the dark clouded yellow or common clouded yellow to distinguish it from the other species of clouded yellows occurring there; elsewhere it is often simply known as the clouded yellow, as it was the first and original butterfly to go by this name.
