Wingspan: 30–45 mm
Flight period: in one generation from June to September; adult butterflies overwinter and the following year fly from March to April
Larval host plants: common hackberry (Celtis australis)
The Nettle-tree butterfly (Libythea celtis) is the only European representative of the subfamily Libytheinae, which is also treated as a separate family. In Slovenia it breeds in the Primorska region, as only there does the tree on which the Nettle-tree butterfly feeds as a larva grow. Adult butterflies can also fly to other parts of the country during the summer.
We recognise this interesting butterfly by its very long palps, which extend almost to the halfway of the antennae. On the outer edge of the forewings there is a large 'tooth', the edge of the hindwings is scalloped. The upperside of its wings is dark brown with a pattern of larger orange spots, the underside of the wings is brownish gray. When perched on the ground, due to its shape and the protective colouring of the underside of the wings, it is easily mistaken for a dry leaf.
