The underside of the hindwings shows a whitish or cream banding but there is a slightly marked sexual dimorphism. In Scotland, the subspecies "caledonia" has a narrower reddish-yellow band and never contains more than three small eyespots. Three black spots are present on each hindwing. The egg is oval shaped, with 20 to 28 longitudinal ribs. The mature caterpillar is yellow brown, with a brown head. The pupae are yellow brown and relatively short and compact, reaching a length of .