On sunny mornings male Pearl-bordered Fritillaries fly rapidly and in broad circles, with a flit-and-glide motion, just above the herb layer. They periodically dip down to gorge themselves on the nectar of their favourite flowers - bugle. When feeding they adopt a head-downwards posture, as they have a short proboscis and cannot easily reach into the flowers when in an upright position. They occasionally visit other flowers including ground ivy, wood anemone and dandelion; and in the New Forest I once saw one nectaring at hawthorn blossom.

Male-male encounters result in a brief dog-fight lasting only a few seconds, after which each goes their separate way.

The females are probably mated very soon after emergence, and in many cases before their maiden flight. Copulation takes place in late morning or early afternoon, and lasts about an hour. Afterwards the females spend most of their time delicately fluttering in and out amongst areas of dry grass and dead bracken, searching for egg-laying sites. They are capable of a fair turn of speed if disturbed however.

In cloudy but bright weather, both sexes spend short periods basking, sometimes on logs or bare earth, but more commonly on dead bracken. Overnight, or in heavily overcast weather, they roost in sheltered situations, typically on bracken fronds, on the dead flower-heads of St Johns wort, or on the leaf buds of pine saplings. In wet weather they roost tucked under dead bracken and leaf litter.