Sitka Spruce vs small tortoiseshell

Picea sitchensis compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Sitka Spruce is Not Evaluated while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Sitka Spruce	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Coniferophyta (Conifers)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Pinopsida (Conifers)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Pinales (Pines & Allies)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Pinaceae (Pine Family)	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Picea	Aglais
Species	Picea sitchensis	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Sitka Spruce

NE — Not Evaluated

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Sitka Spruce	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Sitka Spruce

Habitat

Typically found in temperate and boreal forests, often at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (14 countries), North America (Canada), and Oceania and the Pacific (New Zealand).

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

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 14 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇪🇪 Estonia 🇫🇮 Finland 🇫🇷 France 🇮🇸 Iceland 🇮🇪 Ireland 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇱 Poland 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇪🇸 Spain 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇬🇧 United Kingdom