EN · map butterfly
DE · Landkärtchen
LT ·
mažasis dilgėlinukas
LV · mazais nātru raibenis
PL · rusałka kratkowiec
This little butterfly is best-known for having two forms,
levana and
prorsa that represent the spring and summer broods respectively.
levana individuals are primarily orange in colour, giving them the appearance of a small fritillary, whereas
prorsa individuals look more like a very small White Admiral.
The eggs are laid in long strings, one on top of the other, on the underside of stinging nettles, the larval food plant. It is thought that these strings of eggs mimic the flowers of the nettles, thereby evading predators. The larvae feed gregariously on
Urtica dioica and hibernate as pupae.