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Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary - Favourite Photo 2019

Week 17

So we continue inextricably towards the end of the Favourite Photos with only four weeks to go until the grand finale Once again, this week, we are surrounded by ‘Smalls’…

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

Unlike the previous two years, I didn't have a trip to Scotland to fill my boots with them and had to settle for the small colony at Abbots Wood.

My favourites are this male and female from Rowland Wood, East Sussex.


http://eastsussexwanderer.blogspot.co.uk

That second one's a real beauty, DB.

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David M wrote: ↑Mon Feb 03, 2020 8:21 pm That second one's a real beauty, DB.

Thanks David, she was a rather nicely marked specimen with a slightly dusky appearance.

I have chosen two, both taken at Cudden Point in Cornwall. Although it is a bit of a hike, there is no road noise here, maybe the odd Chough and the wild flowers and sea views are a bonus. As with other sites in the South-west, there are two broods, so one from each showing the different nectar sources available.

Lucky to have plenty of these near where I live, and I ventured out several times to watch them go about their business on the Gower commons during May and early June:

I saw Small Pearl Pearl-bordered Fritillaries during our trip up to the Arnside & Silverdale area early in June. The first ones were at Warton Crag where I saw between 8-10 fresh looking males which indicated that they were still early in their flight period up there.
The following day we called into Latterbarrow LNR where I found a single fresh female.
Unfortunately, the weather turned cool and damp the following day which prevented me finding any at other sites in the area.

Later, in early August, we were down on The Lizard in Cornwall where we stayed in a B&B right down in Lizard Village for a few days. This gave me the opportunity to walk the coast path between there and Kynance Cove a few times and I saw plenty of second brood SPBF.
I couldn't decide which of these undersides I preferred so have posted both,
A drive over to Upton Towans near Hayle on the north coast also produced a fair number of Small Pearls with many of that population looking like they had been on the wing a little longer than those on The Lizard. The female below was probably the nicest individual I saw there.
Cheers,

Neil.

Having been lucky enough to see this species at several spots in 2018, in 2019 my only sightings came from a day spent at Park Corner Heath in Sussex. The recent reintroduction here has proved very successful, and good numbers were seen, including a nicely marked aberrant male.By contrast, there were the normal ones:The underside is particularly striking. Another great day spent in excellent company, and some lovely butterflies.

Dave

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary

As it’s getting towards the end of the 2019 Favourites thread I’m starting to get a little lazy and the selection of a single image is becoming harder and harder so I resorted to selecting two images for this species. Both came from Bentley Wood where the species is hanging on by their finger nails but there were a couple more this year than last.

The first came from the first trip out when the weather was cracking – although perhaps a little too warm as they bombed around almost endlessly. Eventually one did stop and by lying down along an animal trackway I was able to get a cracking stained glass view. The second came 6 days later and the weather couldn’t have been more different with a slight cooling and a fine mizzle in the air. The job this time was actually finding them! But it only took the slightest of lightening of the sky and they would suddenly just appear. Once they were out of hiding they didn’t move, stoically holding fast to their perch. Have a goodun

Wurzel