A small to medium-sized butterfly common in North Africa, Europe, northeastern Asia, and Russia. In Israel it is common only in Mount Hermon and Upper Galilee, where this is its southernmost range limit. It flies in the months of April to June. Its wingspan is up to about 40 mm. The female is larger than the male. It produces one generation a year. In Israel there are additional species of the genus Melitaea, most of them similar. It is relatively easy to distinguish it thanks to the heavy mottling on its wings.
The female lays the eggs in large groups on the underside of Veronica leaves. The eggs are green. They are conical in shape, grooved, and have a truncated top.
The caterpillar hatching from the egg is hairy, black in color, and has a red head. The caterpillars build a communal nest for themselves and undergo summer dormancy and a winter diapause lasting about nine months. When the Veronica leaves sprout, they awaken. As it matures, the caterpillar remains grayish black, with white spots and gray tubercles from which dark bristles emerge. Its maximum size is about 25 mm, and it usually pupates on the host plant.
The pupa is about 15 mm in size. It is light gray in color with orange and black spots. Its duration ranges from two weeks to a month.