| Family | Nymphalidae |
|---|---|
| Subfamily | Heliconiinae |
| Genus | Argynnis |
| Species | pandora |
| Authority | ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) |
| English Name | Cardinal |
| European Red List 2010 | Least Concern (LC) |
|---|---|
| EU 27 Red List 2010 | Least Concern (LC) |
| European Red List 2025 | Least Concern (LC) |
| EU 27 Red List 2025 | Least Concern (LC) |
| Habitats Directive | |
| Bern Convention | |
| CITES |
The Cardinal is a woodland butterfly occurring at woodland edges and in glades with bushes and grassy, flower-rich vegetations. Like the Silver-washed Fritillary (A. paphia), these butterflies are often seen in places where plants rich in nectar, such as thistles, are plentiful. The Cardinal is a fast and powerful flyer, vagrants being sometimes observed outside the distribution range. The eggs are laid singly on the leaves of violets (Viola spp.). It hibernates as a small caterpillar and pupates in the spring, suspended low down on the foodplant or on the nearby vegetation. It is single-brooded.
Albania / Andorra / Austria (Irregular Vagrant) / Belarus (Possibly Present) / Bosnia and Herzegovina / Bulgaria / Croatia / Cyprus / Czechia (Irregular Vagrant) / France / France: Mainland / France: Corsica / Greece / Greece: Mainland / Greece: East Aegean Islands / Greece: Kirti (Crete) / Hungary / Italy / Italy: Mainland / Italy: Sardinia / Italy: Sicily / North Macedonia / Moldova / Montenegro / Poland (Irregular Vagrant) / Portugal / Portugal: Mainland / Romania / European Russia / Serbia / Serbia: Serbia / Serbia: Kosovo / Slovakia / Slovenia / Spain / Spain: Mainland / Spain: Canary Islands / Spain: Balearic Islands / Spain: Sp. North African Territories / Switzerland / European Türkiye / Ukraine / United Kingdom: Gibraltar /