Nymphalis egea (Cramer, 1775)

Host plants:
The larvae feed on Parietaria species, especially Parietaria officinalis.

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

Life cycle:
Nymphalis egea has two generations, rarely a partial third. Hibernation takes place as an adult. I met caterpillars that derived from these at the foot 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. The following caterpillar generation is then observed from June to 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 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 Provence, Italy and Croatia, and more commonly in the southeast (Greece and Bulgaria).