(Linnaeus, 1758)
Dark Green Fritillary
Description:
The Dark Green Fritillary can be found on many different types of flower-rich grasslands. The grassland is often situated in or at the edge of woodland, and may be dry, calcareous or dune grassland, or damp grasslands along the edges of bogs.
The eggs are laid on the often already withered leaf-stems of violets (Viola spp.). Directly after hatching, the small caterpillar prepares for hibernation, hiding itself in the litter layer until the spring. It then begins to feed on the fresh, new growth of the violet plants, continuing into the summer, when it pupates either in the moss layer, or under a tussock of grass. The caterpillars are quite mobile and visit several plants when feeding.
The Dark Green Fritillary is single-brooded.
Habitat:
Coastal sand-dunes
Mixed woodland
Heath and shrub
Mesophile grasslands
Deciduous forests
Similar species:
Argynnis adippe
Argynnis niobe