(Rottemburg, 1775)
Heath Fritillary
Description:
The Heath Fritillary is found in many different sorts of biotope, ranging from dry to damp, grassy, flower-rich places, often situated near bushes or in woodland, or in clearings and along the edges of paths in woods. Its food plants are plantains (Plantago spp.), cow-wheats (Melampyrum spp.), speedwells (Veronica spp.), foxgloves (Digitalis spp.), and toadflaxes (Linara spp.).
The female lays her eggs in clusters on the underside of the leaves. The caterpillars feed communally in silken nests, also hibernating together when half-grown. They then disperse over the plant, either into small groups, or, mostly, become solitary. They pupate on the food plant, and usually have one brood a year, except in the south, where they have two.
Habitat:
Dry siliceous grasslands
Mesophile grasslands
Deciduous forests
Similar species:
Melitaea diamina
Melitaea britomartis
Melitaea aurelia
Melitaea deione