This is a striking fritillary with a bright orange-red upperside and a white, orange and black underside. It occurs in several forms across Europe with northern ones being more heavily marked. I observed the form dalmatina in Croatia which is small and lightly marked, partly due to the poorer quality of the hostplants which have been desiccated by the hot sun. Females are generally more heavily marked than males.

Distribution: Central and southern Europe as far north as Latvia, although absent from most Mediterranean islands.

Flight Period: April-September in multiple broods.

Habitat:, Scrub, maquis, woodland margins, dry meadows, subalpine grassland, neglected farmland, dry rocky places up to 2300m.

Foodplants: Toadflax (Linaria).

Nectar Sources: Knapweeds (Centaurea), thistles (Cirsium), scabiouses (Knautia), thymes (Thymus), hawkweeds (Hieracium), vetches (Viccia) etc.

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