Blue Flag vs small tortoiseshell

Iris versicolor compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Blue Flag is Not Evaluated while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Blue Flag	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Mantodea (Mantodea)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Eremiaphilidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Iris	Aglais
Species	Iris versicolor	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Blue Flag and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Class level: Insecta. (Insects)

Conservation Status

Blue Flag

NE — Not Evaluated

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Blue Flag	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Blue Flag

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (10 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.

Blue Flag

The Blue Flag (Iris versicolor) is a species in the genus Iris. Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

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 10 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇫🇮 Finland 🇫🇷 France 🇩🇪 Germany 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇰 Slovakia 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇬🇧 United Kingdom