Common brimstone

Gonepteryx rhamni
Common brimstone
Photo: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA, Wikimedia Commons
Common brimstone
Photo: Jörg Hempel, CC BY-SA, Wikimedia Commons
Common brimstone
Photo: kallerna, CC BY-SA, Wikimedia Commons

About

The Common brimstone is the same lemon-yellow butterfly that appears in spring as one of the first. Adult butterflies hibernate for about seven months, so they emerge from hiding on the first warm days in April. In Ukraine and the Carpathians, the Common brimstone is found in forest edges, light forests, meadows, and gardens.

Wingspan is 52–60 mm. The wings have a characteristic shape with pointed tips, resembling cut leaves. The male is bright lemon-yellow, while the female is pale greenish-white, which can be confused with the cabbage white. Each wing has a small orange-red spot. The Common brimstone usually rests with its wings folded, making it easy to mistake for a leaf when on green foliage.

The Common brimstone is very attached to two plants: its caterpillars only eat the leaves of buckthorn and alder buckthorn. The female lays eggs on the underside of leaves, choosing young bushes in open sunny places. The caterpillar is green with white hairs; it feeds for 3–7 weeks, molts several times, and pupates. Only one generation develops in a year.

Young butterflies that emerge in summer feed on nectar for a while and then move to forests for hibernation. They hibernate among the leaves of evergreen plants, where they are almost invisible due to their leaf-like appearance. Therefore, the Common brimstone is one of our longest-living butterflies: the adult insect lives from 10 months to a year. The Common brimstone is not listed in the Red Book of Ukraine.

Where in the Carpathians

fewermore568 records in the Carpathians

The map shows where naturalists recorded the species (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY records), not every place it lives. The Ukrainian Carpathians are less studied, so a blank area does not mean the species is absent.

Countries
Hungary · Romania · Ukraine · Austria · Slovakia · Poland · Czechia · Serbia
Mountain ranges
High Tatras, Bükk, Börzsöny and Cserhát, Mátra, Maramureș Mountains, Zemplén Mountains, Gorgany, Mehedinți and Cerna Mountains, Bihor-Vlădeasa Mountains, Pokuttia-Bukovina Carpathians
Altitude belts
Foothills (below 600 m) · Beech forests (600–1200 m)

When to see it

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Sightings

From naturalists’ observations in the Carpathians (iNaturalist, research grade): the darker the cell, the more often the species is seen that month.

Protection and rules

Not listed in the Red Book of Ukraine.

Red Data Book of Ukraine

FAQ

What yellow butterfly flies in early spring?

Most likely, the Common brimstone: it hibernates as an adult and emerges on the first warm days.

How long does the Common brimstone live?

The adult insect lives from 10 months to a year, with about seven months of that spent hibernating.

Similar species

European peacockEuropean peacockAglais ioA bright butterfly with four 'eyes' on its wings. It hibernates as an adult, so it flies as early as spring; the caterpillar lives on nettles.
Old World swallowtailOld World swallowtailPapilio machaonA large yellow and black butterfly with 'tails' on its hindwings. The caterpillar lives on wild carrot, dill, and other umbellifers.
Silver-washed fritillarySilver-washed fritillaryArgynnis paphiaA large orange butterfly of forest clearings with silver stripes on the underside of its wings. It flies in the height of summer.

Where to meet it

Trails

Bert ridge, via Mount Bushtul to Nimetska Mokra villageModerateTwo-dayBert ridge to Nimetska Mokra villagevia Mount BushtulElevation profile652–1 667 m21.3 kmascent 304 m≈ 6 h walkingMount Velyka Syvulia, via Mount Borevka, Mount Ihrovets, Mount Vysoka and Mount Serednia to Osmoloda villageHardMulti-dayMarkedMount Velyka Syvulia to Osmoloda villagevia Mount Borevka, Mount Ihrovets +2Elevation profile721–1 836 m27.8 kmascent 1 080 m≈ 9 h walkingTsiukhiv Dil: Bukovytsia resort – viewing tower (VeloBeskydy)EasyOne-dayMarkedTsiukhiv Dil: Bukovytsia resort viewing tower (VeloBeskydy)Elevation profile552–939 m6.3 kmascent 387 m≈ 2.5 h walkingOsmoloda village, via Mount Ihrovets and Mount Vysoka to Osmoloda villageHardTwo-dayMarkedOsmoloda village loopvia Mount Ihrovets, Mount VysokaElevation profile681–1 804 m24.8 kmascent 1 131 m≈ 8.5 h walkingOsmoloda village, via Mount Vysoka, Mount Borevka, Mount Lopushna and Mount Syvulia to Osmoloda villageHardMulti-dayMarkedOsmoloda village loopvia Mount Vysoka, Mount Borevka +2Elevation profile716–1 836 m44.1 kmascent 1 967 mJadwiga's Track: Mount Tsiukhiv Verkh – Turkiv (VeloBeskydy)EasyOne-dayMarkedJadwiga's Track: Mount Tsiukhiv Verkh Turkiv (VeloBeskydy)Elevation profile559–923 m4.8 kmascent 12 m≈ 1 h walking
Monastery Road: Boryslav – Mount Horodyshche (VeloBeskydy)EasyOne-dayMarkedMonastery Road: Boryslav Mount Horodyshche (VeloBeskydy)Elevation profile424–776 m10.3 kmascent 217 m≈ 3 h walkingZolota Bania: Skhidnytsia – Mount Maslovets (VeloBeskydy)EasyOne-dayMarkedZolota Bania: Skhidnytsia Mount Maslovets (VeloBeskydy)Elevation profile707–849 m2.9 kmascent 148 m≈ 1 h walkingNo. 5050 Tustan – Carpathian polonynyEasyOne-dayMarkedNo. 5050 Tustan Carpathian polonynyElevation profile554–939 m1.3 kmascent 410 m≈ 1 h walkingStara Huta village, via Mount Borevka, Mount Lopushna, Mount Syvulia and Rushchyna polonyna to Stara Huta villageHardMulti-dayMarkedStara Huta village loopvia Mount Borevka, Mount Lopushna +2Elevation profile768–1 836 m27.4 kmascent 1 257 m≈ 9.5 h walkingRizarnia – BorevkaModerateOne-dayMarkedRizarnia BorevkaElevation profile769–1 327 m9.8 kmascent 599 m≈ 3.5 h walkingMount Syvulia Mala – Mount Studenyi VerkhEasyOne-dayMarkedMount Syvulia Mala Mount Studenyi VerkhElevation profile989–1 815 m5.7 kmascent 20 m≈ 1.5 h walking

Peaks and meadows

Mount TsiukhivPeakMount TsiukhivOrivaltitude 939 m · Gorgany range6 trails to the topTsiukhiv (also Tsiukhiv Dil or Tsiukhiv Verkh) is a 939 m mountain (939.4 m exactly; old maps give 942 m or 931 m) in...Mount Horodyshche (Boryslav)PeakMount Horodyshche (Boryslav)Boryslavaltitude 646 mHorodyshche (646 m; other sources give 641.8 m) is a hill in the Upper Dniester Beskids and the highest point of the...Polonyna Yavirnyk (Yaremche)Mountain meadow1 200 mPolonyna Yavirnyk (Yaremche)YaremchePolonyna Yavirnyk is a large pasture on the south-eastern slopes of the Yavirnyk ridge in the Gorgany, right above...

Waters and waterfalls

Bila Tysa RiverRiverBila Tysa RiverBohdanThe Bila Tysa rises on the south-western slopes of Chornohora, where the Stohovets and Balzatul streams meet, and...Nyzhnyi Huk waterfallWaterfallNyzhnyi Huk waterfallRoztokyNyzhnyi Huk waterfall is located in the Vyzhnytsia district of Chernivtsi region in western Ukraine.Vojvodyn waterfallWaterfallVojvodyn waterfallPolianska HutaThe Voyevodyn Waterfall is located on the stream of the same name near the village of Zhdeniyevo in Zakarpattia...Truskavets ReservoirLakeTruskavets ReservoirTruskavetsTruskavets Reservoir, known locally as Lake Solonytsia, lies on the south-eastern edge of Truskavets, next to the...Vilshany ReservoirLakeVilshany ReservoirVilshanyThe Vilshany Reservoir, also called the Tereblia-Rika Reservoir, is a narrow mountain lake in the Tereblia valley...Vyzhenka RiverRiverVyzhenka RiverVyzhenkaTheriver Vyzhenka is located in the village of the same name in the Chernivtsi region.
Narinetskyi waterfall, MykulychynWaterfallNarinetskyi waterfall, MykulychynMykulychynNarinetskyi Waterfall is a waterfall in the Ukrainian Carpathians, on the Noretskyi Stream (a left tributary of the...Mikva waterfallWaterfallMikva waterfallVyzhenkaThe Mykva Waterfall is a small but very picturesque waterfall located in the village of Vyzhenka, Chernivtsi region.Zhenetsky Hook waterfallWaterfallZhenetsky Hook waterfallMykulychynZhenetskyi Huk is one of the most convenient Carpathian waterfalls for tourists, as it is accessible by a direct,...Chemernarsky waterfall Lower HookWaterfallChemernarsky waterfall Lower HookDolishnii ShepitThe Chemernarsky Lower Hook Waterfall (also known as Lower Shepit) is located in Dolishnyi Shepit, in the western...Chemernarsky Hook waterfallWaterfallChemernarsky Hook waterfallDolishnii ShepitChemernarsky Huk Waterfall is a small but very beautiful waterfall located in the village of Dolishniy Shepit,...Bukovinian (Smugar) waterfallsWaterfallBukovinian (Smugar) waterfallsRoztokyA picturesque chain of waterfalls, up to two kilometers long, stretches along the Smuhariv River in Bukovyna, in the...

Mountain ranges: Maramureș Mountains, Gorgany, Pokuttia-Bukovina Carpathians, Krasna Polonyna. In other countries: 🇸🇰 High Tatras, 🇭🇺 Bükk, 🇭🇺 Börzsöny and Cserhát, 🇭🇺 Mátra, 🇭🇺 Zemplén Mountains, 🇷🇴 Mehedinți and Cerna Mountains, 🇷🇴 Bihor-Vlădeasa Mountains, 🇷🇴 Bucegi Mountains, 🇷🇴 Retezat Mountains, 🇵🇱 Gorce

Trails and peaks near which naturalists recorded the species (GBIF, iNaturalist), matched by altitude and habitat. Sightings are not guaranteed.

Sources

GBIF · iNaturalist · Wikidata · Distribution data: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY records), iNaturalist; names and identifiers: Wikidata (CC0). Text: Karpaty.rocks, checked 09.11.2026.