Nymphalis egea (Cramer, 1775)

Host plants:
The larvae feed on Parietaria species, especially Parietaria officinalis and also P. judaica.

Habitat:
Nymphalis egea inhabits stony areas, bush and tree-lined rocky slopes, gorges and rock walls. Nymphalis egea is often found in urban areas, if still traditional, joint-rich walls with Parietaria exist.

Life cycle:
Nymphalis egea often has two generations, sometimes also a partial third. Hibernation takes place as an adult. I met caterpillars that derived from these at the foothills of Mount Olympus (Lithochoro) at partially shaded walls in the first week of May 2008. Here pupation took place, too. The resulting butterflies are already expected in mid or late May. In spring 2022 I recorded larvae up to the last instar already in early April. The following caterpillar generation is then observed from late May/June to July/early August, however, later probably only such of the partial third generation. A L1-larva from early August 2012 (south of Olympus at a castle wall) should belong here.

Endangerment factors:
Nymphalis egea is clearly in decline especially due to the increasing modernization of old villages with elimination of traditional structures.

Remarks:
The distribution ranges from southern Europe through Asia Minor to northern India. In Europe, Nymphalis egea is rarely found in the French Provence, in Italy and Croatia, and more commonly in the southeast (especially Greece and Bulgaria).