• ABOUT
  • BIRDING 2018
  • Birding 2019
  • BLOG POSTS
  • Butterflies 2018
  • Resources

earthstar

~ a celebration of nature

earthstar

Tag Archives: fritillary

Pearls in the grass

16 Thursday Jun 2022

Posted by sconzani in insects

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Aberbargoed Grasslands, Boloria selene, British butterflies, butterfly, fritillary, Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary

I can’t think of a nicer way to spend a day than to enjoy a lovely catch up with my friend Shar while wandering around a grasslands reserve looking for butterflies. Having a second pair of sharp eyes was also a bonus as the weather was quite dull, the butterflies few and mostly inactive. Still, we managed some good close sightings of Small pearl-bordered fritillaries (Boloria selene), a butterfly that thrives in the damp grassland habitat of Aberbargoed Grasslands NNR and, though one of the reserve’s largest fields was burnt recently, there are promising signs that both the violets required for this butterfly’s larvae and the thistles, bramble and bugle that provide food for the adults have survived the fire. Let’s hope both the plants and the butterflies bounce back from what could so easily have been a truly tragic event.

220616 small pearl-bordered fritillary

Like this:

Like Loading...

Fritillary

20 Sunday Mar 2022

Posted by sconzani in wildflowers

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Fritillaria meleagris, fritillary, Snake's-head fritillary

When the word fritillary is not being used to name a butterfly, it refers instead to several species of flowers, members of the Lily family, in particular the gorgeous Snake’s-head fritillary (Fritillaria meleagris). Interestingly, the Oxford Dictionary gives the following explanation of the word’s origin: ‘Mid 17th century from modern Latin fritillaria, from Latin fritillus “dice box” (probably with reference to the chequered corolla of the snake’s head fritillary).’ I was surprised to find several Snake’s-head fritillaries in flower today, in a location I’ve not seen them before, almost certainly planted rather than wild but beautiful just the same.

220320 snake's-head fritillary

Like this:

Like Loading...

Marsh fritillaries

29 Saturday May 2021

Posted by sconzani in insects

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

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

Having lucked out last week, I was over the moon during this week’s visit to Aberbargoed Grasslands NNR to see my first Marsh fritillaries of the year.

210529 marsh fritillary (1)

Perhaps it was the company of my friend Sharon that brought me luck (it was our first meeting in almost nine months).

210529 marsh fritillary (2)

And, no doubt, bumping in to the ranger on site really helped, as he pointed out which field he’d just seen half a dozen butterflies in (the main field where they’re usually seen is still very waterlogged).

210529 marsh fritillary (3)

The day of our visit was the first really sunny day in a while, and, as most of the fritillaries were sitting quietly amongst the tussocks and clumps of grass, soaking up the sunshine and flexing their wings, I got the feeling that many had only just emerged from their pupae.

210529 marsh fritillary (4)

We saw nine Marsh fritillaries in total – I’m sure there were more we missed. They are such stunning creatures that I’m already planning a return visit.

210529 marsh fritillary (5)

Like this:

Like Loading...

Foreign-looking fritillaries

19 Tuesday Apr 2016

Posted by sconzani in nature, wildflowers

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

Fritillaria meleagris, fritillary, Snake’s head fritillary, Vita Sackville West

And then I came to a field where the springing grass
Was dulled by the hanging cups of fritillaries,
Sullen and foreign-looking, the snaky flower,
Scarfed in dull purple, like Egyptian girls
~ from Vita Sackville West, The Land, 1926

Vita was writing about the Snake’s head fritillary (Fritillaria meleagris), also known by a multitude of other common names, including chequered daffodil, chess flower, frog-cup, guinea-hen flower, Lazarus bell, chequered lily, drooping tulip, and leper lily (because its shape resembles the bell once carried by lepers).

fritillary (5)

Perhaps that association with lepers is why the fritillary is considered by some to be a little sinister. Sackville West certainly wrote negatively of it in The Land and, according to the Poison Garden website, she declared the fritillary to be ‘a sinister little flower, in the mournful colour of decay’. I certainly can’t agree with Vita’s negative opinion of this most unusual of flowers, as I find the combination of unusual chequered pattern, delicate elegance and soft magenta colouring simply stunning.

fritillary (8)
fritillary (3)

Like this:

Like Loading...

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.

View Full Profile →

Follow earthstar on WordPress.com

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Recent blog posts

  • Picture-winged flies on Burdock July 2, 2022
  • A darling darter July 1, 2022
  • Commas, again June 30, 2022
  • The Bees are buzzing June 29, 2022
  • Black-tailed skimmer June 28, 2022

From the archives

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets

COPYRIGHT

Unless otherwise acknowledged, the text and photographs on this blog are my own and are subject to international copyright. Nothing may be downloaded or copied without my permission.

Click on the category

'Dedicated Naturalist' Project 365DaysWildin2019 amphibian animals autumn birds coastal fauna flowers fungi geology insects ladybird leaves lichen mammal molluscs nature nature photography parks plants reptiles seaside seasons spiders spring trees walks weather wildflowers winter

Fellow Earth Stars!

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • earthstar
    • Join 567 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • earthstar
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

You must be logged in to post a comment.

    %d bloggers like this: