Bastard Cress vs small tortoiseshell

Lepidium campestre compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

Bastard Cress is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bastard Cress	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Brassicales (Brassicales)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Brassicaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Lepidium	Aglais
Species	Lepidium campestre	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Bastard Cress

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bastard Cress	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bastard Cress

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, temperate coniferous forests, and temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, among 7 distinct biome types spanning the Indomalayan and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Asia (China, Japan), Europe (16 countries), North America (Canada, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (Brazil, Chile).

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.

Bastard Cress

The Bastard Cress (Lepidium campestre) is a species in the genus Lepidium. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, temperate coniferous forests, and temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, among 7 distinct biome types spanning the Indomalayan and Palearctic re.

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.