(Knoch, 1783)
Mountain Ringlet
Description:
The Mountain Ringlet inhabits mountainous areas that are snow-covered in winter. It is found on damp grasslands and rough vegetation, often in the shelter of a slope or woodland edge.
The female lays her eggs on various grasses and sedges, including fescues (Festuca spp.), Mat-grass (Nardus stricta), and Heath-grass (Danthonia decumbens). The caterpillar hibernates twice. It completes the first larval instar before hibernating the first time. By the end of the summer it reaches the last but one stage before hibernating again. The following year, it pupates in the summer, and the butterfly emerges.
The Mountain Ringlet is a very variable butterfly with many local and regional subspecies and forms.
Habitat:
Alpine grasslands
Heath and shrub
Similar species:
Erebia eriphyle
Erebia manto
Erebia melampus
Erebia claudina