| Family | Nymphalidae |
|---|---|
| Subfamily | Satyrinae |
| Genus | Minois |
| Species | dryas |
| Authority | (Scopoli, 1763) |
| English Name | Dryad |
| 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 Dryad inhabits grassy, rather rough vegetation, often located at the edge of woodland or scrub, and mostly quite damp. The foodplants are relatively broad-leaved, nutritious grasses, such as Purple Moor-grass (Molinea caerulea), small-reeds (Calamagrostis spp.), and bromes (Bromus spp.). The female drops her eggs in flight into the grass. The tiny caterpillars emerge and, without feeding, enter a period of inactivity during the summer months. In the autumn, they begin to feed, hibernating in the first or second larval instar. The caterpillars make a little hollow in the ground in which to pupate, but do not spin a cocoon. The Dryad is single-brooded.
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