Small heath

Coenonympha pamphilus neolyllus

A distinct small and softly-coloured yellowish-orange butterfly with a wingspan of 25-34 mm, females are larger with a pair of eyespots on the front wings; later broods tend to be pinkish. This species lives in many different types of habitats, such as coastal farmland, waste ground, roadsides, greenways, wetland, grassland, meadows, fields, pastures, steppes, and mountains. Host plants are members of the grass family (Graminae) such as sweet vernal-grass (Anthoxanthum odoratum), orchard-grass (Dactylis glomerata), bent-grasses (Agrostis spp.), fescues (Festuca spp.), and meadow-grasses (Poa spp.). It flies late April through October, the flight is described as fast and zigzagging.

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