Plateau des Gras, Bidon, Ardèche, France
Family : Nymphalidae
Sub-Family : Satyrinae
Species : Melanargia galathea
Found throughout most of Europe, including the UK, and parts of southern Russia and Asia Minor. It is a medium size butterfly with a wingspan of up to 58mm. The male is a little bit smaller than the female but its colours are much bolder. Habitat is wild flowery grassland, particularly downland, but it is also found in woodland clearings and roadside verges. There is just one generation per year and the flight time is June to August.
Unusually, the female does not lay her eggs on the foodlplant but simply drops them on the ground where they hatch out after three weeks. The larvae eat the eggshell and then hibernate without further feeding until the following Spring. When they wake they feed nocturnally low down on grass stems, mainly Festuca sp. (Fescue), Dactylis glomerata (Cocksfoot), and Brachypodium pinnatum (Tor Grass).
All my insect pics are single, handheld shots of live insects in wild situations.
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