A medium-sized butterfly common throughout Europe and temperate Asia. In Israel it is common only in the Hermon from an altitude of 1500 meters, in the months of June and July. On the underside of the hindwing there are bright silver spots, hence its name. It produces two generations a year. Its wingspan is about 40 mm.
The female lays her eggs on violet species (Viola). The egg is yellow and shaped like a cone truncated at the tip.
A grayish, bristly larva hatches from the egg. As it grows, the larva becomes black and has bristly tubercles. The base of the tubercles is orange. Its maximum size is about 35 mm.
The pupa hangs on the host plant. Its color is brown and it has pale spots. Its period lasts about a month. The larva or the pupa undergo winter diapause until the next spring.