Marsh Fritillary question

[Dave McCormick]

Looking back on older records from where I live, all recorded before my family moved here and some records before I was born, back in 1980s in Mountstewart where I live, a Marsh Fritillary was found here, only one record of one adult. They have not been seen here before then and are still not present in any location here, I don't think they have ever been see in Mountstewart except for that one adult. The nearest location is a bog in Kirkubbin which is about 7 miles away and there is still a population of Marsh Fritillary there now and are the last survivng colonies in the Ards Peninsula that are known to exist.

I don't think there have been other records of Marsh Fritllary anywhere else in this 7 mile radius.

Could a Marsh Fritillary wonder that far away? Possible vagrant? Or would something else make one adult be found here? I can be pretty much sure no one was breeding or releasing any butterflies since I know of all the people that lived around here in that time and can't see them doing any of that.

[Padfield]

7 miles is more than a marsh frit would normally move from its breeding site but I would suggest your Kirkubbin colony is still the most likely provenance of the butterfly. If it didn't fly to you on its own there are loads of ways it could have arrived accidentally - in farm vehicles or getting trapped in a car, for example.

Does the foodplant grow at Mountstewart?

Guy

[Cotswold Cockney]

During the fabulously hot long summer of 1976, which followed a nearly equally warm summer of 1975, the Marsh Fritillary I personally found in many parts of Gloucestershire. It was present in most of my favourite Cotswold Blue Butterfly sites, even in areas where it's preferred larval foodplant, Devil's Bit Scabious does not occur. I suspect that sometimes the butterfly uses Teasel but no direct personal evidence of that. Never before or since have I found this local butterfly in such numbers and in so many widespread localities, some of which did not appear suitable.

The following year 1977, a less sunny summer, I found only one butterfly on a steep hillside in only one of all the localities I saw it the previous year.

There is other evidence of huge population explosions with this species. Based on what I saw in Gloucestershire during 1976, I believe that when motivated by whatever affects butterflies, this butterfly is well capable of covering greater distances than a mere seven miles.

I have not seen one in Gloucestershire since the 1970s but then, more recently I do not search as carefully as I once did.
..

[Dave McCormick]

Does the foodplant grow at Mountstewart?

Um, I am not sure, I have never seen it, however there are Narrow Bordered Bee Hawk moths here, so it must be around somewhere altough the location eludes me. I know that Teasel exists that CC mentioned it may feed on. I have a list of all plants that existed here in the 80's just have to find it

If it didn't fly to you on its own there are loads of ways it could have arrived accidentally - in farm vehicles or getting trapped in a car, for example.

Suppose, the bog is beside a farm, actually on the farm land. Although I think I was told the bog was bigger before, but not sure how long ago. Some parts of it were drained for farm use, but there is about 3 or 4 acres of bog left.

I found the record I had of it:

Location: Mount Stewart House and Gardens, Reference:J556704, Date:1983

The record did state it could have came from the bog about 7 miles away or another nearby.