blue cowslip vs small tortoiseshell

Pulmonaria angustifolia compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• blue cowslip is Endangered while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	blue cowslip	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Boraginales (Boraginales)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Boraginaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Pulmonaria	Aglais
Species	Pulmonaria angustifolia	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

blue cowslip

EN — Endangered

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	blue cowslip	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

blue cowslip

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, temperate coniferous forests, and boreal forests and taiga, among 8 distinct biome types within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, Russia, and Sweden. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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.

blue cowslip

The Blue cowslip (Pulmonaria angustifolia) is a species in the genus Pulmonaria. It is currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, temperate coniferous forests, and boreal forests and taiga, among 8 distinct biome types within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also fo

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 4 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇷🇺 Russia 🇸🇪 Sweden