| Family | Nymphalidae |
|---|---|
| Subfamily | Satyrinae |
| Genus | Coenonympha |
| Species | pamphilus |
| Authority | (Linnaeus, 1758) |
| English Name | Small Heath |
| 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 Small Heath is a common species of nearly all types of grassland. It is mostly found on fairly open, poor meadows and pastures. The female deposits her eggs one by one, or in rows, on the blades of most grasses, including meadow-grasses (Poa spp.), Sweet Vernal-grass (Anthoxanthum odoratum), fescues (Festuca spp.), and bents (Agrostis spp.). The caterpillar grows very quickly on nutritious grasses, but can also use poor grasses, growing then more slowly. In the third or fourth larval instar, the caterpillar hibernates deep down in a tussock of grass, where it also later pupates. The number of broods a year is between one and three and depends on the geographical position of the habitat.
Albania / Andorra / Austria / Belarus / Belgium / Belgium: Flanders / Belgium: Wallonia / Bosnia and Herzegovina / Bulgaria / Croatia / Czechia / Denmark / Estonia / Finland / France / France: Mainland / France: Corsica / Germany / Greece / Greece: Mainland / Greece: East Aegean Islands / Hungary / Ireland / Italy / Italy: Mainland / Italy: Sardinia / Italy: Sicily / Latvia / Liechtenstein / Lithuania / Luxembourg / North Macedonia / Malta / Moldova / Montenegro / Netherlands / Norway / Poland / Portugal / Portugal: Mainland / Romania / European Russia / San Marino / Serbia / Serbia: Serbia / Serbia: Kosovo / Slovakia / Slovenia / Spain / Spain: Mainland / Spain: Balearic Islands / Sweden / Switzerland / European Türkiye / Ukraine / United Kingdom / United Kingdom: Great Britain / United Kingdom: Northern Ireland / United Kingdom: Isle of Man / United Kingdom: Guernsey / United Kingdom: Jersey /