Twin-spot Fritillary - Brenthis hecate

Phylum: Arthropoda - Class: Insecta - Order: Lepidoptera - Family: Nymphalidae

The Twin-spot Fritillary has a wingspan of 3.5 to 4.5cm and is distinguished by the two parallel lines of round brown spots on the forewings and hindwings. The upperwings of females of this large fritillary have bright orange backgrounds, which are somewhat suffused with dull grey in the males.

Distribution

The northern limit in south-west Europe is southern France, and the range of this butterfly extends eastwards through southern Russia and the Balkans into central Asia.

Habitat

This species is found in wildflower meadows, herb-rich scrubland and woodland edges at altitudes up to about 1500 m above sea level.

Lifecycle

The primary larval foodplants of the Twin-spot Fritillary are Meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria and Dropwort Filipendula vulgaris. The single brood of adults can be seen in flight from early May through to early July in south-west Europe, but further east they are sometimes seen throughout July and even in to early August. These butterflies take nectar from a wide range of wildflowers.

The specimens shown on this page were photographed in Bulgaria.

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