A biotope is a uniform area of land with specific conditions (soil type, vegetation, microclimate) inhabited by a characteristic community of plants and animals. For butterflies, the biotope is determined mainly by the presence of caterpillar host plants.

Which biotope has the most butterfly species?

In temperate climates — flowering meadows with diverse herbs, especially on chalk and limestone slopes. In the tropics — primary rainforest. In Russia, species-rich habitats include alpine meadows of the Caucasus and oak forests in the south.

Butterfly Atlas

Biotope

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A biotope is a uniform habitat patch with specific conditions, home to a characteristic community. Each butterfly species prefers its own biotope.

Definition

Biotope (from Greek bios — life, topos — place) is a habitat patch with uniform conditions (soil type, vegetation, relief, microclimate) occupied by a particular biocenosis — a community of living organisms.

For butterflies, a biotope is above all a place where there are host plants for caterpillars and nectar plants for adults.

Main butterfly biotopes in Russia

Biotope	Characteristic species
Meadow, mixed herbs	Swallowtail, fritillaries, checkerspots, sulphurs
Forest edge	Small tortoiseshell, brimstone, comma, peacock
Forest (oak grove)	Peacock, hairstreaks, satyrs
Bog	Bog fritillary, bog copper
Mountain meadow	Apollo, Mnemosyne, mountain species of genus Erebia
Steppe	Sulphurs, blues, steppe coppers
Garden, urban	Large white, small white, small tortoiseshell, painted lady

Biotope and species conservation

Species loss almost always begins with degradation of its biotope: meadows overgrown with shrubs, bogs drained, steppes plowed, old oak groves cut. Therefore protecting rare butterflies is impossible without protecting their biotopes.

More detail — in the article where butterflies live.