- Lifespan
- Approximately 2 weeks as an adult butterfly; 1 year from egg to adult including larval and pupal stages
- Size & Weight
- Wingspan 32–38 mm
- Habitat
- Damp, flower-rich meadows and moorland, typically on calcareous or neutral soils with abundant Devil's-bit Scabious.
- UK Distribution
- Highly fragmented distribution across southern England, Wales, and western Britain; resident populations persist in scattered colonies, notably in the South West, Cotswolds, and Wales; absent from much of central and northern England.
- Diet
- Adults feed on nectar from various wildflowers including Devil's-bit Scabious, thistles, and bird's-foot trefoil.
- Predators
- Spiders, robber flies, and small birds; larvae also vulnerable to parasitic wasps and flies.
- Mating Season
- May to June in most UK populations; occasionally a partial second generation in July
- Breeding
- Females lay clusters of 100–200 eggs on Devil's-bit Scabious; larvae are gregarious and feed communally in webs; single brood in most of UK, occasionally partial second brood in warmer areas; pupation occurs in spring.
- Behaviour
- Highly sedentary and reluctant fliers, with weak, erratic flight patterns close to ground level. Males perch and patrol to find females. Larvae are strongly gregarious, living together in silken webs on their food plant.