Colias hyale inhabits open land. Most often the butterflies reproduce in extensively cultivated meadows or grazing areas (cows etc.), flood embankments, Medicago fields (especially butterflies) and, less commonly, nutrient-poor grasslands. In years with favorable weather conditions Colias hyale is often quite numerous in August/September and can be observed ovipositing even in extreme intense, manured grass fields where development is rarely successful.