www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Many butterflies were called 'fritillaries' in times gone by - even the grizzled skipper (once the 'marsh fritillary', if my memory serves me aright). It is often stated that this is because in Latin fritillarius means 'chequerboard', but I don't think that's the case. The word doesn't appear in any of my Latin dictionaries. Fritillus, however, does mean 'dice-box' and it could be that the chequered patterns reminded the early authors of dice.

Guy

The same 'fritillary' term is used botanically, for plants such as Fritillaria meleagris - the Snake's Head Fritillary, which is associated with damp low-lying meadows around Oxford.
According to the RHS Dictionary of Gardening, the name does indeed derive from fritillus - dice box - referring to either the shape of the capsules or the chequered pattern on the flowers, reminiscent of the traditional decoration on a dice-box.

Mike

Lovely photo, Mike - one of my favourite flowers.

Also, aren't there Fritillaries called chequerboards, or chequerspots in North America?

Cheers

Lee