It is found in Austria, Bulgaria,[2] Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, and Sweden.

Underside orange-red, marked with black; the forewing with yellow spots in the cell, beyond the cross-veins and before the distal margin.

The hindwing beneath has 3 rows of spots: one near the base, of which a lunule in the cell stands a little separate, further a median band divided by a black line, and thirdly a row of marginal lunules edged proximally by black arcs.

Caterpillars that hibernated once already start feeding on honeysuckle (Lonicera xylosteum), goat willow (Salix caprea) and common aspen (Populus tremula), as well as a diverse variety of forb.

Scarce fritillary can be found in East- and Central Europe, in the Caucasus, Ural Mountains, in the East of Kazakhstan, in South- and Western Siberia, in the Zabaykalsky Krai and in Mongolia.

Scarce fritillary are rarely found on flowers; instead they prefer the blossoms of bushes; for example, common privet (Ligustrum vulgare) and wayfaring tree (Viburnum lantana).

The scarce fritillary butterflies only slowly recover after such invasion, often needing years to replenish their population.

The females lay their striking red eggs on the undersides of ash leaves for which they often choose seedlings that are approximately 2 meters (6.5 feet) high.

This is why, occasionally, if it has been a strong year for the population of the scarce fritillary butterfly, several females can be seen laying their eggs on the same leaf.

They develop to lead a solitary life and are also starting to broaden their diet by including other plants only in the subsequent spring.

The decline of the species is accounted to the loss of their habitats because of forestry, the draining of wetlands and the agricultural use of former biotopes.