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Mila'sExotic Plants & CuriositiesA living collection by Luminary OdditiesLuminary Oddities · Natural history & art
Hamearis lucina
Lepidoptera / Riodinidae
The Duke of Burgundy is a small European metalmark whose colonies depend on sheltered vegetation and suitable primrose or cowslip plants.
Read the species account
Hamearis lucina is a European butterfly in the metalmark family, Riodinidae. [1]
The adults are small, with a wingspan of about 30 mm. Orange spots form a chequered pattern against the dark upperwings; pale spots are concentrated on the hindwing underside. [3]
The European range extends from Britain and Spain towards southern Scandinavia and the Balkans. British colonies occupy sheltered chalk or limestone grassland with scrub, and open woodland maintained by coppicing or other disturbance. [1]
In Britain, adults fly mainly from April through June. Caterpillars feed at night and shelter near the host's base by day. Pupation takes place near the ground in late summer, and the pupa remains through winter. [3]
Larvae consume cowslip, Primula veris, and primrose, P. vulgaris. Their feeding leaves holes in the leaf blade while larger veins and the leaf edge remain, producing a recognisable pattern of damage. [1]
Males defend small perching territories and intercept passing butterflies. Encounters can develop into ascending, circling flights. Field observations found that warmer conditions were associated with more frequent and longer territorial flights; other flights did not show the same relationship. [2]
Males gathered near one another showed more territorial activity at cooler temperatures than isolated males in the behavioural study. [2]
At Totternhoe in England, adult and larval records repeatedly concentrated in particular parts of a chalk-grassland reserve between 2006 and 2017. Both stages favoured shelter, but the areas used by adults did not completely match those selected for larval feeding. [1]
The loss of coppiced woodland habitat has made appropriately managed grassland increasingly important in Britain. Conservation management must retain sheltered adult territories as well as the lightly shaded host plants used for breeding. [1]
Journal of Insect Conservation · Accessed 2026-10-13
Journal of Insect Conservation · Accessed 2026-10-13
Wiltshire Wildlife Trust · Accessed 2026-10-13
Sources checked 2026-10-13. Illustrations · Luminary Oddities.
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