(Ménétriés, 1859)
Asian Fritillary
Description:
The Asian Fritillary can be seen searching for nectar or food plants on open scrub, rich in herbaceous plants, or in clearings in open woodland, in flower-rich grassland, and on vegetation of dwarf shrubs above the tree-line. These butterflies only occur locally, although at times in large numbers.
The female lays all her eggs at once, on the underside of a leaf of its food plant, Blue Honeysuckle (Lonicera caerulea). The caterpillars live in communal webs, and in the autumn make a more substantial shelter of leaves, spun together with silk, in which to hibernate. They take two years to develop and have to hibernate twice. The fully-grown caterpillar leaves the nest after the second hibernation, and pupates on the food plant or adjacent rocks.
Habitat:
Mesophile grasslands
Similar species:
Euphydryas maturna
Euphydryas cynthia