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Dark Green Fritillary - Favourite Photo of 2020

Week 4

Lockdown take 2 So to cheer you up here's the next selection of Favourite Photos

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.

Just a reminder - it might be a good idea to select your Overall Favourite Butterfly Photo of 2020 now so that you’ve got something to post when the series of threads culminates in 20 weeks time…


Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

I only just managed to get to see these at the end of lockdown, but missed their initial emergence so no pristine specimens this year. This male at Box Hill was in pretty good nick in the first week of July though.

A south Lincolnshire example from mid-June:

Some Scottish examples all from 27th June at Cambus o may on Deeside

A bumper year on Beacon Hill Wiltshire. Early June was particularly productive.

From what I saw, this species had a pretty good year. I found them at Noar Hill, in the woods at Chiddingfold and in decent numbers in their usual haunts at Denbies, Box Hill and Aston Rowant. I saw fresh individuals right through from early June to mid-July too. However, perhaps the most memorable encounter was at Box Hill on 9th June, when a patch of cloud grounded them for a while, making one particular fresh male individual very docile and amenable to some close-up shots. The main drawback was a relative lack of light as it was around five and the sun of course was in. Different light levels significantly alter the colour of the butterfly, but I think this was a close match to what the eye saw.I felt the close shots came out well.As the sun reappeared, the reaction of the butterfly was almost immediate and after the next shot it was away... Dave

At my local site, the Dark Green Fritillary flight season seems to start earlier every year and just coincides with when the privet finishes flowering, and for a short while it is by far the most popular source of food providing an easy photograph. Thereafter, Bramble, Thistle and Knapweed are favored.

Not being found at any of my close local spots, this is a species that I often catch up with during our various trips around the country. It can be found further afield around Warwickshire and in recent years has expanded out from the couple of sites which used to be the only locations where it could be found here.
Seeing some reports from Bishops Hill, we took a drive down in early June to try our luck and was chuffed to find a couple of fresh males, my first ever Warwickshire Dark Green Fritillaries.
After Bishops Hill, we carried on to Harbury Spoilbank where I had also seen some reported and was pleased to find around 15, mostly fresh looking males flying around an open meadow area there. Although they were quite active in the warm afternoon sun, there were plenty of yellow hawkweed type flowers that tempted them to land for frequent refuels.
I also observed a few instances of them settled close together in favoured basking spots, something I have seen on a number of occasions previously.
Cheers,

Neil.

Amazingly, Dark Green Fritillary was out in May in Hampshire and I saw my first on Pitt Down, near Winchester on 2nd June.

Five days later, I was lucky enough to see a mass emergence of Dark Greens on Broughton Down, in Hampshire. A received a text from a friend who was there and I was on the down in 30 minutes. There were at least 50, probably more. These were from that day.
A few days later and they were out in abundance on Pitt Down.
My favourite Dark Green Fritillary of this year though, was this deliciously smoky female from West Wood, also near Winchester on 5th July.
A different, dancing female, taken two hours later at the same location.

Dark Green Fritillary

My favourite DGF this year came from Martin Down from an area that I don’t often visit. Normally I end up following the hedge towards the Hotspot hollow at Bokerley Dyke and then retracing my steps. On this visit however I went up the Dyke and across the top working my way back to the car on a circular route. With the car in sight I was stopped dead in my tracks by this glorious DGF as she was so dusky that in the light her costas glimmered bottle green. But when she closed up she was even more resplendent alternating between the scales close to the body catching the light and glimmering gold or the spots flashing like brushed Aluminium - lush! Of the two I preferred the former as I’d not seen or caught it on film before and hence my choice.
Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

Lee Hurrell wrote: ↑Sat Nov 14, 2020 10:51 pmAmazingly, Dark Green Fritillary was out in May in Hampshire..

Same here, Lee. I saw my first four individuals on 31st May, beating my previous record by nine whole days!

There were plenty more on 2nd June at the High Brown site near Bridgend:

I've barely set foot outside Huntingdonshire since March so Dark Green Fritillary wasn't one I was expecting to see this year. I did have a lot of time on my hands so I spent most days visiting the local woods. I can't tell you how surprised, and pleased, I was to come across this one in Monks Wood on 23rd June. I believe the last recorded sighting there was 1960.

A butterfly some years I don't get to see never mind photograph. Again taken a Boxhill, a mecca for many of my butterfly sightings in 2020. Fresh examples like this one seem positively glowing with colour Phil

NB. I've just noticed the file name "Argynnis" ... but that should be Speyeria. Need to keep up