Wingspan: 45–60 mm
Flight period of butterflies: in one generation from June to August
Larval food plants: species from the genus Viola (Viola)
The shimmering pearled fritillary (Argynnis aglaja) is only slightly smaller than a related fritillary. The base color of the upperside of its wings is orange, decorated with a pattern of black spots and blotches. The female has part of the wings near the body brown in color, the male does not. Unlike the female, the male has along the veins in the middle of the forewings narrow black bands of scent scales. When the shimmering fritillary closes its wings at rest, it will be easily recognized by the large silvery, sparkling spots that adorn the olive-green and pale orange underside of the hindwings. It differentiates itself from similar species by the absence of eye-like spots between the large oval spots in the middle of the wings and the narrow spots along the outer edge of the hindwings.
The shimmering fritillary is a widely distributed species, occurring from the sea to meadows high above the forest line. On sunny grassy slopes, on clearings of light forests, or on marshy meadows you can observe how quickly it flies in search of a mate, the larval host plants, or the flowering plants on which it feeds.
