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Tag Archives: fritillaries

M is for Marsh fritillary

18 Saturday Dec 2021

Posted by sconzani in insects

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Aberbargoed Grasslands, British butterflies, butterfly, fritillaries, Marsh fritillary

I was so very pleased when the Covid regulations were relaxed enough during the summer to allow me to visit Aberbargoed National Nature Reserve to see my beloved Marsh fritillaries, particularly as I hadn’t managed to see any in 2020. These are just such magical butterflies that I actually braved the train journey four times. Though I was too early on my first visit and only a few faded, jaded individuals remained when I visited for the final time in late June, I remember my mask hiding a beaming smile all the way home on those other train journeys.

211218 marsh fritillary

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Small pearl-bordered fritillaries

30 Wednesday Jun 2021

Posted by sconzani in insects

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Aberbargoed Grasslands, British butterflies, butterfly, fritillaries, Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Another visit to Aberbargoed Grasslands National Nature Reserve last week produced my best ever views of Small pearl-bordered fritillaries so I thought I’d share a couple of photos of these stunning little butterflies.

210630 small pearl-bordered fritillary (1)

They get their name from the series of pearl-like markings that can be seen along the outside edge of the underside of their hind wings, though I personally think all their markings, on both the upper- and under-sides of their wings are as exquisite as pearls.

210630 small pearl-bordered fritillary (2)

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188/365 Silver-washed fritillary

07 Sunday Jul 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, insects, nature

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

#365DaysWild, British butterflies, butterflies, butterfly, fritillaries, Silver-washed fritillary

As well as the endangered High brown fritillaries and their cousins the Dark greens, Friday’s butterflying day out also turned up a couple of these beauties, the equally glorious members of the family, the Silver-washed fritillaries (Argynnis paphia).

190707 silver-washed fritillary (1)

If you’re wondering how an orange-and-black-patterned butterfly got the name silver-washed, it’s because the underside of its wings are streaked silver. Unfortunately, my photos don’t show that very clearly … next time.

190707 silver-washed fritillary (2)

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187/365 Most threatened butterfly

06 Saturday Jul 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, insects, nature

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

#365DaysWild, Britain's most threatened butterfly, British butterflies, butterflies, fritillaries, High brown fritillary

190706 High brown fritillary (1)

I had the very great privilege yesterday of spending time with some of Britain’s most threatened butterflies, in the only location in Wales where they can be found. These are the High brown fritillaries (Argynnis adippe), which, despite their large robust appearance, have declined by almost 80% since the 1970s and are now the subject of ongoing conservation efforts by the staff of Butterfly Conservation and their dedicated and hard-working team of volunteers.

190706 High brown fritillary (4)

It was one of their long-term volunteers, Richard, who willingly gave his time yesterday to show me around the site, to explain all about the work they’re doing to save this butterfly from extinction, and to show me how he surveys a transect to monitor their population. Brush cutting, bracken bashing, surveying, visitor management, tour guiding, newsletter writing – and he’s been doing all this since 1995! I simply can’t thank him enough.

190706 High brown fritillary (2)

And as for the High browns – what glorious creatures they are! There was one particular area, a wide bowl of head-high bracken, where we were treated to wonderful sightings. The males mostly raced past at high speed, frantically following the trail of an enticing female, and sometimes bounced around each other in their quest for dominance and territory. At other times, they wafted gracefully around the bracken tops, offering perfect close views when they stopped to nectar on bramble and thistle flowers; they even floated over to check out the human intruders in their space.

190706 High brown fritillary (3)

The High brown fritillary can be difficult to tell apart from the Dark green fritillary, both of which share this particular location – it’s all about the size of the third dot on their upper wings and the presence or absence of reddish markings on their under-wings but you do need clear views to see these differences. I think I’d cracked it by the end of the day but the best thing, the most wonderful thing was just being there amongst them. Bliss!

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172/365 Flitillaries

21 Friday Jun 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, insects, nature

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

#365DaysWild, Aberbargoed Grasslands, British butterflies, butterflies, butterfly, fritillaries, Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Summer solstice

My mis-spelling of the word fritillaries is deliberate – the darn things never keep still. They’re either constantly flitting from place to place at a great rate of knots or, when they do settle, they either disappear into the long grass so you can’t find them or they perch on a flower to refuel but never stop flapping their wings for a moment.

190621 small pearl-bordered fritillary (1)

Those are my excuses for the Small pearl-bordered fritillaries in today’s photos being out of focus and/or obscured by blades of grass!

190621 small pearl-bordered fritillary (2)

Still, I spent a glorious few hours with them, and their cousins the Marsh fritillaries, at Aberbargoed Grasslands National Nature Reserve. A little patience was required, as huge menacing clouds kept rolling over but, in the gaps between, when the sun came out, so did the butterflies.

190621 small pearl-bordered fritillary (3)

It was a magical way to spend the summer solstice!

190621 small pearl-bordered fritillary (4)

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Silver-washed fritillaries

22 Sunday Jul 2018

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

Abbot's Wood, Argynnis paphia, British butterflies, butterflies, fritillaries, Silver-washed fritillary

What an absolute delight it was to see these beauties during my recent visit to Sussex, my second new butterfly sighting for the week!

180722 Silver-washed fritillary (3)

My friend Jill can testify to the fact that I was grinning from ear to ear as we followed the Abbot’s Amble trail through Abbot’s Wood, a Forestry Commission site near Polegate, and were entertained at every sunlit spot by Silver-washed fritillaries (Argynnis paphia) flitting about the bracken, bramble, thistles and burdock.

180722 Silver-washed fritillary (5)

With a wingspan between 7 and 8 cms, they’re large butterflies, and so very vibrant.

180722 Silver-washed fritillary (4)

These are woodland butterflies, feeding on the flowers that grow along the edges of paths and trails in wooded areas. Apparently, they also lay their eggs on tree trunks, rather than on their caterpillar’s food plant. Once hatched, the caterpillars hibernate through the winter, awakening and descending to the forest floor come the springtime to feed on the leaves of violets.

180722 Silver-washed fritillary (1)

The bumblebee has its eye on that flower but the fritillary isn’t moving!

180722 Silver-washed fritillary (2)

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About me

sconzani

sconzani

I'm a writer and photographer; researcher and blogger; birder and nature lover; countryside rambler and city strider; volunteer and biodiversity recorder.

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