Colias hecla
Encyclopedia
The Northern Clouded Yellow or Hecla Sulphur (Colias hecla) is a butterfly
in the Pieridae
family. In Europe
, it is found in the northern part of Norway
, Sweden
and Finland
up to heights of 900 m. It is also found in Greenland
, Alaska
, the Northwest Territories
, Yukon
, Quebec
, Labrador
, Manitoba
, the Chukot region, East Chukotka
and the Far East
.
The wingspan
is 36-46 mm. The butterfly flies in June to August depending on the location.
The larvae feed on Astragalus
species, including Astragalus frigidus and Astragalus alpinus
as well as Trifolium repens.
Colias hecla sulitelma is sometimes treated as a separate species Colias sulitelma. If that is the case, Colias hecla zamolodchikovi is considered a subspecies of Colias sulitelma, named Colias sulitelma zamolodchikovi.
Furthermore, Colias canadensis
is sometimes treated as a subspecies of Colias hecla, named Colias hecla canadensis.
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
in the Pieridae
Pieridae
The Pieridae are a large family of butterflies with about 76 genera containing approximately 1,100 species, mostly from tropical Africa and Asia. Most pierid butterflies are white, yellow or orange in coloration, often with black spots...
family. In Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, it is found in the northern part of Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
up to heights of 900 m. It is also found in Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, the Northwest Territories
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
, Yukon
Yukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Labrador
Labrador
Labrador is the distinct, northerly region of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It comprises the mainland portion of the province, separated from the island of Newfoundland by the Strait of Belle Isle...
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, the Chukot region, East Chukotka
Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
Chukotka Autonomous Okrug , or Chukotka , is a federal subject of Russia located in the Russian Far East.Chukotka has a population of 53,824 according to the 2002 Census, and a surface area of . The principal town and the administrative center is Anadyr...
and the Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 36-46 mm. The butterfly flies in June to August depending on the location.
The larvae feed on Astragalus
Astragalus
Astragalus is a large genus of about 3,000 species of herbs and small shrubs, belonging to the legume family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. The genus is native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
species, including Astragalus frigidus and Astragalus alpinus
Astragalus alpinus
Astragalus alpinus is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name alpine milkvetch. It has a circumpolar distribution, occurring throughout the upper latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. It is widespread in Eurasia...
as well as Trifolium repens.
Subspecies
- Colias hecla hecla (Greenland)
- Colias hecla glacialis (Alaska and the Northwest Territories, Yukon, Quebec, Labrador)
- Colias hecla hela (Manitoba, Northwest Territories)
- Colias hecla aquilonaris or Colias hecla orientis (Chukot region, Far East)
- Colias hecla sulitelma (Scandinavia, northwestern Siberia)
- Colias hecla zamolodchikovi (East Chukotka)
Colias hecla sulitelma is sometimes treated as a separate species Colias sulitelma. If that is the case, Colias hecla zamolodchikovi is considered a subspecies of Colias sulitelma, named Colias sulitelma zamolodchikovi.
Furthermore, Colias canadensis
Colias canadensis
The Canada Sulphur is a butterfly in the family Pieridae found in North America. It has only been found from Alaska and Northwest Territories, to northern British Columbia and Alberta.Flight period is early May to early August....
is sometimes treated as a subspecies of Colias hecla, named Colias hecla canadensis.