"Fast she-wolf mare!" What the…? Oh no, don't worry, we're not in a daze: that’s just the literal translation of its name! This dusky butterfly is a member of the very large lycaenid family, aka "she-wolf" in Greek, but its fast, twitchy flight is truly reminiscent of that of an agile, fast mare.
Qualities that it has in common with as many as 5 illustrious Hippothoes of Greek mythology: a Nereid, a Libyan princess, a daughter of Perseus, a daughter of Pelias and an Amazon heroine of the Trojan War. This Lycenidae is found in the Pyrenees, the Alps and much of eastern and northern Europe as far as Siberia, the Urals and the Altai. It is absent from Britain, Portugal, Greece, and the Mediterranean coast. This insect is usually associated with wet meadows and hilly bogs. It can be found at sea level in Sweden, Denmark, and Finland, but elsewhere it is usually found at elevations between about 400-1800 m (1,500-18,000 ft). The caterpillars' food plants are medicinal bistort and sorrel. This species is usually found in small colonies in warm, sheltered environments, where males can be found with their wings half-closed, basking in grasses or on low grass. Darker females are seen much less often.