Common in woodland clearings and rough grassland; 0-2400 m throughout much of mainland Europe and southern Scandinavia. In Britain, recorded in Kent, Hampshire, Suffolk and West Sussex in the second half of the 19th Century, all believed to be the result of deliberate introductions. In Hampshire, recorded once, at Lyndhurst in 1868. Not recorded from the Isle of Wight to date. Wingspan 46-60 mm. Larva feeds on Common Dog-violet.