- Lifespan
- 2–4 weeks as an adult butterfly in the wild
- Size & Weight
- Wingspan 32–38 mm
- Habitat
- Damp grasslands, woodland clearings, and moorland edges with abundant violet plants, typically in upland and northern regions.
- UK Distribution
- Found in northern England, Wales, and Scotland; absent from southern England and the Midlands. Resident with a single brood in most areas, though populations are increasingly fragmented.
- Diet
- Adults feed on flower nectar, particularly from birds-foot trefoil, bugle, and thistles. Caterpillars feed exclusively on violet species, especially common dog-violet and marsh violet.
- Predators
- Small birds, robber flies, spiders, and parasitoid wasps targeting larvae and pupae
- Mating Season
- May to July (univoltine—single brood per year)
- Breeding
- Females lay eggs singly on violet host plants; larvae develop through summer and overwinter as pupae, emerging the following May. Single brood per year in most UK populations.
- Behaviour
- Adults are relatively weak fliers and remain close to their larval host plants. Males patrol and perch to seek females. The species is highly dependent on specific habitat conditions and is sensitive to disturbance and management changes.