(Linnaeus, 1758)
Ringlet
Description:
The Ringlet can be found in grassy places with bushes, woodland clearings, and on grasslands bordering woods. The habitats vary from dry to rather wet, such as at the edge of a raised bog. The butterflies are avid visitors of such flowers as thistles, knapweed, and other plants rich in nectar.
The caterpillars feed on nutrient-rich grasses, such as cock's-foot (Dactylus spp.), false-bromes (Brachypodium spp.), fescues (Festuca spp.), and cat's-tails (Phleum spp.). The female usually just releases her eggs, letting them fall into the vegetation, either while perched or in flight. The caterpillars hibernate, hidden in a grass tussock, and when they resume feeding, only do so at night. They also pupate deep down in the vegetation.
The Ringlet has one brood a year.
Habitat:
Mesophile grasslands
Humid grasslands
Deciduous forests
Similar species:
Coenonympha oedippus
Lopinga achine