The Scarce Heath is a rare, wetland butterfly, found only locally, in small, scattered populations.
   It is a very dark heath, and given a good view, unmistakable.
   The underside is rich brown, with a prominent series of confluent, orange ringed,white-pupilled ocelli on the hindwing, set just outside a white band, and a silver ribbon inside the margin.
   It could only be confused with the equally rare false ringlet, Coenonympha oedippus.
   In that species, the rings are yellow and the uppermost ocellus is displaced basally and set apart from the others.
   Adults fly in a single generation from May to July..