The orange-tip is a herald of spring, its males' distinctive orange wing patches brightening country lanes and woodland edges in April. Its welfare depends on cuckooflower and garlic mustard in damp hedgerows and woodland rides.
Orange-tip welfare depends on the abundance of its larval foodplants in suitable damp habitats. Cuckooflower (Cardamine pratensis) in wet meadows and ditches, and garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) in hedgerow bases provide the seed pods on which eggs are laid. Drainage of wet meadows eliminates cuckooflower populations. Hedgerow base management that removes garlic mustard in spring — before egg-laying is complete — eliminates breeding sites. Garden planting of both foodplants in damp areas supports orange-tip breeding in suburban settings. The long chrysalis overwintering period makes the species vulnerable to disturbance of overwintering sites in autumn.