Wing span: 30–44 mm
Flight period of butterflies: in two generations; from April to June and from July to September
Larval host plants: species from the genera Plantago (Plantago), Veronica (Veronica), Rhinanthus (Rhinanthus), Valeriana (Valeriana), Verbascum (Verbascum) and Stachys (Stachys)
Crimson-banded fritillary (Melitaea didyma) is a medium-sized butterfly, which among all fritillaries is the most red-orange colored, but this applies only to males. The upperside of the wings in females is variably colored, from brown-orange to brown, with a pattern of dark brown spots. The spots that form such a pattern in the male are black. The undersurface of the forewings is orange and speckled with black dots, the hindwings on the underside are pale yellowish with two orange-red bands and rows of black dots.
The Crimson-banded fritillary is common in Slovenian dry and sunny meadows, but it is also found in shrubland and along the edges of cultivated areas. It occurs from the sea to the high mountains.
