Distribution map for P. machaon in Denmark based on specimens in Danish collections and observations. Data collected by Atlas Project Danish Butterflies.
Grid: UTM 10 km. squares
This species was resident in many places in Denmark until around 1975 when it disappeared from its last known locality. The main reason for this decline is clearly drainage of meadows and moors where its foodplant Peucedanum palustre is growing. We still have this foodplant in many places, but mostly the are overgrown with trees, so that P. machaon cannot use such places as habitats. It is also an open question if machaon was really resident by us, as most populations has been known for not so many years. However, in the 1940's it was wery common near lakes north of Copenhagen.
Today machaon is often found as stray individuals, but it has not yet been able to establish itself, even new and proper habitats have been created. Even an experiment releasing a small number of males and females on a fine biotope, gave lots of larvae but was not found the following year.
Machaon is stil quite common in the rest of Scandinavia.
Continue to next species