Fabriciana adippe, the high brown fritillary, is a large and brightly colored butterfly of the family Nymphalidae, native to Europe and across the Palearctic to Japan.

Usually larger than the previous species [ Argynnis alexandra Ménetries, 1832], the wings more obtuse, the outer margin of the forewing quite straight and that of the hindwing feebly undulate in the female.

The Morecambe Bay Limestone hills, the Glamorgan Brackenlands, Dartmoor and Exmoor all support a fritillary population, while it has declined in most other Northern European regions.

These habitats are usually at lower altitudes in open fields and are found across the fritillarys complete range, usually facing in a southern direction.

Increased temperature allows larvae to mature more quickly here, making bracken-rich habitats favorable breeding sites.

Unlike other species, fritillary larvae ignore their egg shells as a food source and instead primarily feed on violet seedlings.

[2] Once the larvae of the high brown fritillary emerge from the shell in mid-March, they begin to feed, usually on violets, almost immediately.

They frequently bask in sunlight to raise their body temperature higher than the surrounding vegetation allowing for faster growth.

[6] In warm weather the fritillary is most active, and spends most of its time flying low to the ground above and around Bracken and other flora.

The egg laying process begins when a female does low passes above bracken fronds and drop down when they find a suitable spot.

These butterflies relied heavily on coppicing, a land managing technique that has all but disappeared from Great Britain's countryside.

The reduction of coppicing combined with replanting and new forest growth has several limited the places the fritillary can thrive, as bracken habitats are becoming rarer.

[2] In order to reverse the decline of the high brown fritillary, conservation plans focusing on bracken habitat management are the primary course of action.

[citation needed] The high brown fritillary remains one of the Butterfly Conservation's highest priority projects.

Their actions create open, light-flooded patches that encourage the growth of cow wheat which the fritillary depends upon.