Description

Wingspan 45 - 53mm. The wings are orange, marked with a lattice of brown lines. The fore-wings have an eye-spot and the hind wings have three eye-spots. The male is more heavily marked with brown than the female.

Habitat

Meadows, dry grasslands, and brown field sites. The caterpillars feed on a wide variety of grasses.

Status and distribution

A declining species. Now mainly coastal but still fairly widespread in Britain. Uncommon in Nottinghamshire and no longer recorded at Netherfield Lagoons.

Best time to see

April to June.