Appearance: This pretty little butterfly (wingspan from 37 to 44 mm) has orange-brown upperwings with astonishingly precise dark brown network. The underwings are marked with orange, buff and white, with a similar pattern.
Geographical distribution/ habitat: Europe and Asia; endangered in England. Prefers edges of woodland and open woodland but can sometimes be found on flowery meadows.
Host plants: Common cow-wheat (Melampyrum), Figwort (Scrophulariacaea) and Platains (Plantaginaceae).
Food plants: Thistles (Cirsium arvense particularly) and umbellifericae.
Flight time: In Europe the Alps are the divider: south of them, two generations from May to September, North of them one generation from June to July.
Other: Hibernates as an immature caterpillar among leaves. In the spring grows quickly and pupates.
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