Butterfly ID
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Field guide · Sweden
Metallmärken · Sweden

Duke of burgundy fritillary

Hamearis lucina

A small butterfly with dark brown wings and small brownish-yellow patches, belonging to the family Metallotheca. It flies from early to mid-June in deciduous forests and scrubland where the host plant cowslip grows. The species' distribution in Sweden is southeastern and fragmented.

Status in this countryRare in SwedenVU (Vulnerable)
Duke of burgundy fritillary
Photo: Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0

Flight period

Typically flies in the beginning to the middle of June, sometimes already from the first half of May.

Habitat

Deciduous woodland, scrub and extensively managed meadows with cowslip.

Identifying features

Wingspan 25–29 millimetres. On the upper side, the wings are dark brown with small, light-yellow patches; on the underside, they are light yellow with white bands. Its appearance clearly distinguishes it from other diurnal butterflies in Sweden.

Similar species

The species is unlikely to be confused with any other Swedish butterfly, but can look somewhat like the fritillaries in the genus Melitaea.

Distribution

Southeastward and fragmented occurrence in Sweden, with distribution in the forests of Göta and Svea.

Biology

The larvae feed on cowslip.