(Fabricius, 1787)
False Ringlet
Description:
The False Ringlet is one of the rarest butterflies of Europe and is declining at an alarming rate. Seeing one is therefore a very special event. The False Ringlet inhabits low-lying, grassy marshes and reed-beds that are usually situated in the shelter of woodland, creating a warm and humid environment. The butterflies fly very slowly and hardly ever migrate to nearby habitats. The eggs are deposited one by one on the blades of grasses, like meadow-grasses (Poa spp.), rye-grasses (Lolium spp.), hair-grasses (Deschampsia spp.) and Purple Moor-grass (Molinea caerulea). The caterpillars hibernate half-grown in the tussock, where they pupate as well.
The False Ringlet has one generation a year.
Habitat:
Raised bogs
Blanket bogs
Humid grasslands
Similar species:
Aphantopus hyperantus
Lopinga achine
Coenonympha hero