Wednesday 22 May Heath fritillary (Mellicta athalia) What’s the
World’s Favourite Species?Find out here. Heath fritillary fact
file - Find out more - Print factsheet Heath fritillary
description One of our rarest butterflies, the heath fritillary
is a light orange-brown in colour with dark brown markings; the
underside is pale yellow with dark orange markings and a number
of white spots (1). The caterpillar grows up to 2.4 centimetres
in length, and has a black body with whitish spots, orange
spines and a black head with white marks (2). - Wingspan: 3.4 -
4.6 cm (2) Heath fritillary biology The adult flight period
generally occurs between late May and early July; the heath
fritillary can be seen flying close to the ground and taking
nectar from bramble flowers, buttercup and ox-eye daisy (5). The
species is single-brooded, eggs are laid in large clumps near
the ground on the underside of a leaf on a plant next to the
foodplant. Larvae hibernate in a tube made from a dead leaf,
which is rolled and sealed with