Southern Festoon - Zerynthia polyxena (swallowtails family - Papilionidae)

It is common in the warmest areas of Central Europe, in steppe and forest-steppe stands up to 900 meters above the sea level, where the Calico Rower (Aristolochia) - foodplant for caterpillars - grows. Southern Festoon has a local occurrence. Butterfly is striking with its bright colours. It flies from March to June. Today, it is becoming extinct at many places because its foodplant appears rarely.

It belongs to protected species.

RND Ilja Okáli, CSc