(Linnaeus, 1758)
Arran Brown
Description:
The Arran Brown occurs in sheltered, grassy, flower-rich places in woodland. These places are usually rather damp and in deep shade.
The female deposits her eggs on the withered blades of various grasses, including cock's-foots (Dactylus spp.), hair-grasses (Deschampsia spp.), fescues (Festuca spp.), and Heath-grass (Danthonia decumbens). Sedges (Carex spp.) are also used.
The egg hibernates, and the following year, the caterpillar feeds and grows, and in the last larval instar hibernates again. In the summer, the caterpillar pupates.
The Arran Brown is single-brooded, but the life cycle takes two years to complete.
Habitat:
Mixed woodland
Coniferous woodland
Deciduous forests
Similar species:
Erebia euryale