Toadflax fritillary

Melitaea didyma

A small to medium-sized fritillary with a wingspan of 35-50 mm, of a bright reddish-orange colour with numerous black markings while females are larger and duller. There are several subspecies in Lebanon. Also called the “spotted” or “red-band fritillary,” the toadflax lives in a variety of habitats, such as coastal farmland, roadsides, scrub, dry grassy areas, meadows, fallow, and on stony slopes. Host plants include toadflaxes (Linaria spp.), hence the name, as well as oriental anarrhinum (Anarrhinum orientale), lesser snapdragon (Antirrhinum orontium), speedwells (Veronica spp.), mulleins (Verbascum spp.), foxgloves (Digitalis spp.), pinks (Dianthus spp.), germanders (Teucrium spp.), woundworts (Stachys spp.), and plantains (Plantago spp.). It flies March through October.

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male