Spotted Fritillary
Melitaea didyma
Its caterpillars accumulate bitter chemicals from their food plants, making them distasteful to hungry birds.
- Scientific name
- Melitaea didyma
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Lepidoptera › Nymphalidae › Melitaea
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- grassland
- Habitat
- Dry, flowery meadows, sunny hillsides, steppes, and forest clearings.
- Diet
- Adults drink nectar from thistles and knapweeds; larvae feed on plantains, toadflax, and speedwells.
- Range
- Southern Europe, Central Europe, North Africa, Middle East, Central Asia, Siberia
- Size
- Wingspan of 35 to 50 mm.
- Lifespan
- 10 to 20 days (as an adult); 1 year total lifecycle.
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat fragmentation, intensive mowing, pesticide use, and land development.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. You can observe this butterfly from a close distance without any risk. Avoid touching its wings, as the delicate scales can easily be damaged, hindering its flight.
Melitaea didyma , the spotted fritillary or red-band fritillary , is a butterfly of the Nymphalidae family.
Photo: SteveM4560, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
Plain-text version: /species/8b966fbf-1871-40e0-913f-f07f527fb30d.md