Landscapes Designed for Plantain Fritillary

[PhilBJohnson]

Having read about this species on this website under Glanville Fritillary and not knowingly visited scarce sites where the butterfly was, this is the context in which my ideas are based and assumptions made or information repeated:

"It was originally named the Lincolnshire Fritillary" in the early 1700s by Petiver,"
Referenced Page 198 Butterflies of Lincolnshire A Modern History ©2021 Peter Cawdell & Pete Smith

I assumed and it appeared to me, that Plantain Fritillary larvae, apparently preferred south to west facing (afternoon sun, air temperature, generally (or averagely) warmer than morning sun) slopes.
The Plantain Fritillary spent most of it's time as larvae and over-wintered that way. Keeping the species micro climatically warmer in the winter, than general air temperatures, appeared to be a key, with it being found in sheltered environments.
Something might also have been said for the gradient of slopes it was found on, with many Plantain larval food plants found near the bottom of a slope (seed sown or fallen near the top of a slope might naturally germinate and take hold to grow further down that slope with weathering rainfall).
The lighter colours of exposed chalk and or Limestone, will reflect direct sunlight that might significantly influence a warmer, sheltered micro-climate, with gregarious caterpillars, possibly frost surviving by huddling together and by being dark, their bodies able to absorb a little more warmth, from direct sunlight for extended Spring feeding in relatively low Spring temperatures, in direct sunlight.

I was not quite sure what nectar plants the butterfly might enjoy the most, with the butterfly apparently emerging from about the beginning of May, with one annual generation, surviving through to about the beginning of July. I thought that Lady Glanville's mental health and wellbeing was very important.
#Avoiding Predation #Winter Scub and or #HabitatManagement (height from ground, to help hide large meal caterpillars before pupation #LateSpring, Early Summer Nectar Sources for butterflies.

[MrSp0ck]

You have to remember where Lady Glanville lived before her very short time in Linconshire, it was very near to Sand Point, where Glanvilles survived on and off until 2016. So it could be she sent from Lincolnshire specimens caught at Sand Point before her move, and at that time were assumed to be from where she sent them as data in that era is sparse. ie Wickham east of Croydon for the White Admiral of 1717. Petiver named this and others in Bromely/Croydon in 1717. It could be that they were from Sand Point, a very suitable habitat for the species. The Dulwich Fritillary was probably again on Sites on the Croydon/Bromley Borders along with his other records of the time.

[MrSp0ck]

We have 54 Larval webs at Hutchinsons Bank this year, nearly all in very Sunny warm locations on a South West facing Slope. There are probbably many more we havnt found yet too.