The Polaris Fritillary is considered to be a fairly common butterfly that is found in northernmost Scandinavia, North America (in northeastern Alaska and northern Canada) and in Greenland.
   It is also found in northeastern Russia and across the Palearctic Realm to Chukotka. 
It is one of only six species found on Canada's Ellesmere Island.

   There are three subspecies found within this very wide range: 

   Boloria polaris erda (central and eastern Siberia), 

   Boloria polaris kurentzovi (Chukotka Autonomous  Okrug and Wrangel island in Siberia)

   Boloria polaris polaris (northern Scandinavia, Greenland and North America).

   This is purely an arctic butterfly, flying low over the tundra.

   It has a swift, erratic flight, but frequently basks in the sun to recharge its energy to fly.

   They are characterized by a two-year development.

   Butterflies that live in the mountain tundra usually stay near rocky areas. In the meadow tundra, they often feed on astragalus (Astragalus), wild rosemary (Ledum), and dryad (Dryas).

They are a dull orange on the ventral side with extensive dark shading at the base of the wings.The hindwings are reddish brown on the dorsal side with a marginal row of white hourglass-shaped spots and a submarginal row of white crescents above black dots. There are irregular white markings towards the base of the wings.

 This fritillary flies in June and July (recorded in early August in the more southerly parts of its range, such as Manitoba and Labrador). In most of its range it flies every year, but at some locations only every second year, for example at Churchill only in odd-numbered years).