This butterfly belonging to the Nymphalidae family owes its name to the union of "koinos" (common) and "nymphe" (nymph): does it mean that we're facing an arcane common nymph?
Well, its wide diffusion in continental Europe makes it a not so rare encounter, but its bespectacled wings and its size do not allow it to fly unnoticed. Frequent episodes of melanism (dark pigmentation) or isabellism (reddish pigmentation) are recorded, adding a hint of mystery to the "arcane" beauty of this butterfly. Coenonympha arcania can be found in central Europe. Easily recognizable by the lower part of the hind wing, whose marginal portion is taken up by a wide white band, interrupting the row of ocelli below the apical eye, the latter appears placed inside the white band. It is widespread throughout Europe except Great Britain, from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean Sea and from Spain and France to the Black Sea and Armenia. The larva is green with a dark dorsal stripe bordered by a yellowish tint, light subdorsal stripe and light yellow lateral stripe, it is usually seen until May on meadow grass. These butterflies are very common in June and July and often fly together in large numbers at the edge of rich undergrowth, but also in open country and hills.