alpine speedwell vs small tortoiseshell

Veronica alpina compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• alpine speedwell is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	alpine speedwell	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Lamiales (Lamiales)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Plantaginaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Veronica	Aglais
Species	Veronica alpina	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

alpine speedwell

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	alpine speedwell	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

alpine speedwell

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Found across Europe (5 countries) and North America (Canada).

small tortoiseshell

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (41 countries). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

alpine speedwell

The Alpine speedwell (Veronica alpina) is a species in the genus Veronica. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions. Found across Europe (5 countries) and North America (Canada).

small tortoiseshell

small tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List. Close to qualifying as threatened, with populations that may become vulnerable without conservation action.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 5 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇫🇮 Finland 🇮🇸 Iceland 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden