Richardson’s Willow vs small tortoiseshell

Salix richardsonii compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

Richardson’s Willow is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Richardson’s Willow	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Malpighiales (Malpighiales)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Salicaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Salix	Aglais
Species	Salix richardsonii	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Richardson’s Willow

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Richardson’s Willow	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Richardson’s Willow

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Canada and Norway.

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.

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.