(Denis and Schiffermüller, 1775)
Cardinal
Description:
The Cardinal is a woodland butterfly occurring at woodland edges and in glades with bushes and grassy, flower-rich vegetations. Like the Silver-washed Fritillary (A. paphia), these butterflies are often seen in places where plants rich in nectar, such as thistles, are plentiful. The Cardinal is a fast and powerful flyer, vagrants being sometimes observed outside the distribution range, in Switzerland, for example.
The eggs are laid singly on the leaves of violets (Viola spp.). It hibernates as a small caterpillar and pupates in the spring, suspended low down on the food plant or on the nearby vegetation. It is single-brooded.
Habitat:
Dry calcareous grasslands
Deciduous forests
Similar species:
Argynnis paphia