www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

On Monday 5th August my elderly father was observing mainly Peacock butterflies on our buddleia when a butterfly he did not recognise turned up. It's notable feature was its underside apparently.

After consulting his 1983 "Complete Guide to British Butterflies" (Brookes and Knight) he concluded that it was a Queen of Spain Fritillary.

We live in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands. Is this sighting plausible?
Peter

Unlikely at best I'd say. More likely to have been a worn Dark Green Fritillary in my opinion but without a photo it would be impossible to be certain.

A lot of Migrants turned up that weekend, including some QoS frits, even Bedstraw Hawks went far inland, and up to Orkney, so again it cant be ruled out, from the dates, as mass imigration occured on 3rd August, the best for many years.

Like MrSp0ck, I wouldn't discount this as a possibility. Another Queen of Spain just reported to the BC Sussex website and, as always, we'll just be seeing the tip of the iceberg.

We're in for an exciting late summer/autumn, with Queen of Spain, Long-tailed Blue, gorganus Swallowtail and Camberwell Beauty all in since the last days of July, together with good moths including Bedstraw Hawk-moth and Dark Crimson Underwing. I've even got Long-tailed Blue eggs in my garden and have found them on Broad-leaved Everlasting-pea plants in other Worthing gardens nearby.

BWs, Neil

I am in Solihull, not far away from Sutton Coldfield, so I read this with interest. I would love it to have been a Queen of Spain Fritillary and although as Mr Sp0ck and Neil H have stated, this is not impossible, I am not aware of Q o S ever being reported from anywhere near here. I am aware of Dark Green Fritillary being seen around North Warwickshire however, sometimes some distance from known colonies.

Bye the way, my brother who lives up in Newcastle would laugh at Sutton Coldfield being thought of as 'Northern'. He thinks he is going down south when he visits us here in Solihull We are of course in The Midlands.

Cheers,

Neil.

...my brother who lives up in Newcastle would laugh at Sutton Coldfield being thought of as 'Northern'.

Drive northwards on the A1 and signs are always saying "The North". You never get there!

Jack

Many thanks to all who took an interest in my Dad's possible QoS sighting, especially exciting to see the comments that supported the possibility... I had the opportunity to catch up with my Dad on any developments, of which there was nothing new except he emphasised that it couldn't have been mistaken for a faded anything..! Apparently 'his' butterfly was notably smaller and livelier than the Peacocks that were around at the time, and revealed colours brighter even than Brooks and Knight's illustration of a QoS Frit, the hind underunderwing particularly of silver patchwork catching his eye! Noting that it appears in British Butterfly compendiums, I do wonder whereabouts the QoS HAS been an observed migrant, either this or in previous years?
Best..
Peter