Eastern Festoon (Allancastria cerisyi) | Species | ||||||||||||||||
 Male. Taken at Plazishte, Bulgaria, on June 22nd 2014. (1/500th sec at f13. Approx 2x lifesize. © David Hastings)  Female. Taken at Plazishte, Bulgaria, on June 22nd 2014. (1/200th sec at f13. Approx 2x lifesize. © David Hastings)  Larva. Taken at General Todorov, Bulgaria, on June 25th 2014. (1/200th sec at f10. © David Hastings) DescriptionFamily: Papilionidae Wing span: 52 - 62mm Unusually for a butterfly, the female Eastern Festoon is more heavily marked than the male, with larger red spots on the hindwing margins, and more black on the forewings. The red spots are variable. It is found in the Balkans, Turkey and the Middle East. It is found in open, hot, sunny, dry grassy places, with thick scrub, often in river valleys and cultivated areas. There is one boord per year, with adults on the wing between mid-March and late July in a prolonged emergence. The larvae feed on various Aristolochia species. The Eastern Festoon is evaluated as Near-threatened in Europe, as it is local and in decline. Sightings
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