Bitternut vs small tortoiseshell

Carya cordiformis compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Bitternut is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bitternut	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Fagales (Beeches & Oaks)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Juglandaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Carya	Aglais
Species	Carya cordiformis	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Bitternut

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bitternut	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bitternut

Habitat

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

Range

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

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.

Bitternut

The Bitternut (Carya cordiformis) is a species in the genus Carya. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

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:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇫🇷 France 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇵🇱 Poland 🇬🇧 United Kingdom