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Heath Fritillary - Favourite Photo of 2018

Week 7

Last week I wasn’t totally convinced that I would be able to post this but despite the machinations of the South West Trains Guards and bewildering capabilities of the Salisbury ticket office I manged to make it to and from the Winter Social – so here we go with Week 7!

Please could I ask that everyone waits until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos as then it will be easier to keep track of things? Of course our overseas members are very welcome to fill in the obvious gaps relating to rare UK migrants. As in previous years details of locations, dates, times and circumstances would be welcome as would any accompanying stories and anecdotes or other observations of behaviour and interesting other points.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

My trip to see these ended up being a rare dull, cloudy day and at first I thought it was going to be a wasted trip. I Couldn't have been more wrong though, I found loads and unlike a sunny day they were all sat mostly motionless and once you got your eye in, they stuck out like sore thumbs, plus I had them all to myself! Getting underside shots was like taking candy from a baby but one image stands out a mile for me.

I got a lovely surprise this Summer when I found the Heath Fritillary were still alive and well, maybe a little worn but that didn't matter because I'd not seen them for quite a few years this was at East Blean Woods on the 10th of July Goldie

I saw my first ever Heath Frits this year, at Lydford Gorge (Devon) on 25th June. Part of a memorable day out with BC's Richard Fox, when we recorded an amazing five species of fritillary within the Dartmoor National Park. It was definitely the tail-end of the Heath flight period, as there were only a few individuals still flying; but at least they were not looking too ragged.

Although not too far from home ,we only managed a single visit to East Blean wood this year,on the 3rd June ,but being extremely warm on the day ,the Heath Frits were very active and rarely settled for long ,high numbers about with several free-for alls with up to five males trying their luck with a single female .

Arriving at East Blean on 6th June at almost the same time as the sunshine, I was rewarded with a selection of basking butterflies, for the most part freshly emerged. This female (with drops of meconium from the chrysalis on the leaf below)......this male......and these underside shots all stand out. Dave

Hundreds seen in the French Alps, although numbers were down on previous years. This one was nice and fresh:

Heath Fritillary

This one is a bit of a cheat as it was from my French holiday in mid-August. I chose this one because it seemed to be the most obvious Heath and one of the ones that I didn’t have to pore over to differentiate it from the surrounding Meadow Frits with their ‘oblique s1b or some such’ spot .
Have a goodun

Wurzel

A southern cousin from France, from the month of May. Chris