(Denis and Schiffermüller, 1775)
High Brown Fritillary
Description:
The High Brown Fritillary occurs on woodland edges and in woodland clearings, where there is lush, rough vegetation with plenty of nectar plants. It is often seen together with the Silver-washed Fritillary (A. paphia) and the Dark Green Fritillary (A. aglaja).
The eggs are laid on the leaves of violets (Viola spp.) and also on the bark of trees with violets growing near them. The tiny caterpillar remains within the egg during the winter, and from about the beginning of March, leaves the egg and starts feeding on violet leaves. It pupates on a twig or on a leaf close to the ground.
The High Brown Fritillary has one generation a year.
There is variation in colour, mainly of the underside of the hindwing. The different forms are common to rare in different parts of the range. A. a. cleodoxa, a form common in the Pyrenees, has a yellow hindwing with practically no pattern. To the south of the Pyrenees, A. a. cleodippe has clearly defined markings and hardly any green powdering. A. a. clorodippe, with the green underside of its hindwing and also with well-defined markings, is common in the south-east of its range and in mountainous areas.
Habitat:
Mixed woodland
Mesophile grasslands
Deciduous forests
Similar species:
Argynnis aglaja
Argynnis niobe