(Esper, 1778)
Spotted Fritillary
Description:
The Spotted Fritillary can be found on poor grasslands, steppe-like vegetation, and dry, rough vegetation near rocks and on slopes. Further, it is also seen on fallow agricultural land, or at the edges of fields. It uses a wide variety of plants as food plant, plantains (Plantago spp.), toadflaxes (Linara spp.), speedwells (Veronica spp.), foxgloves (Digitalis spp.), woundworts (Stachys spp.), valerians (Valeriana spp.), and mulleins (Verbascum spp.).
The female lays her eggs in clumps on the underside of the leaves, near to the ground. At first, the caterpillars feed communally in a loosely spun shelter, but they separate quite soon, either into smaller groups, or become solitary. The caterpillars hibernate alone, or in small groups, in a spun web. They pupate low down on the food plant or in the vegetation. The Spotted Fritillary has one to three broods a year, depending on the geographical location and altitude of its breeding ground.
The adult butterfly is extremely variable in its wing markings and wing colours.
Habitat:
Dry siliceous grasslands
Dry calcareous grasslands
Similar species:
Melitaea trivia