Silver-washed Fritillary - Favourite Photo of 2020

[Wurzel]

Silver-washed Fritillary - Favourite Photo of 2020

Week 15

We’re almost at the juncture in time when we could start the Countdown Clock! Another week, another set of Favourites and it’s been a funny old week too – mild weather and storms followed by really cold weather and snow and the first butterfly reports for 2021 have started to trickle in!

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 start selecting your Overall Favourite Butterfly Photo of 2020 now as we’re starting to draw to the grand finale.


Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[downland boy]

My favourite is of this mating pair of Silver-washed Fritillaries in one of my local East Sussex woods.


http://eastsussexwanderer.blogspot.co.uk

[bugboy]

My favourite encounter with these last year was finding an ovipositing female at Bookham. I didn't manage to grab any snaps of her doing the deed but when a marauding male showed up I was able to get plenty of shots of her trying her best to give him the cold shoulder, he was very persistent and the last I saw of her was flying off with him still in hot pursuit

[Andy02]

My favourite from Epping Forest this year. They are increasing there thankfully

[Andy02]

[petesmith]

Incredible year for them at my local hot-spot in central Lincs. Great numbers and some cracking aberrations as well!

[Goldie M]

I saw my SWF on the 11th of July in East Blean woods, I've been going into those woods for years and never seen one before ,it was while I was taking a shot of a Heath Fritillary and suddenly this one flew in I was surprised to find the Heath but much more surprised when this Butterfly arrived Goldie

[MikeOxon]

I didn't make many trips from home during the lock-down year but, on an exercise-walk in Bernwood, I was pleased to find this Silver-washed Fritillary ready to pose for me, as it fed on brambles.

This is a species that has been doing well in recent years. I can remember when it was hard to find but now they seem to be relatively plentiful - I hope the situation continues!

Bernwood, Oxon - 10th July 2020
Olympus E-M1-ii with 100-400mm lens - 1/1000s @ f/8 ISO 800

Mike

[Neil Freeman]

A trip in mid June to Oversley Wood plus a couple of visits to Snitterfield Bushes later in June and again in early July produced my Silver-washed Fritillaries for 2020. At both spots I did not see as many as I have seen in previous years, especially Oversley but it was still early for these when we went there. Also, the weather by then had taken a turn for the worse and most days we were lucky to get a few sunny spells to make the most of.

Silver-washed Fritillary pair - Oversley Wood 15.06.2020

Silver-washed Fritillary male - Snitterfield Bushes 22.06.2020

Silver-washed Fritillary male - Snitterfield Bushes 22.06.2020

Silver-washed Fritillary female - Snitterfield Bushes 26.07.2020

Cheers,

Neil

[Stevieb]

Excellent year at my local patch Green Lane Wood, Wiltshire with my first seen on 16th June.

16th June

16th June

20th June

20th June

[David M]

Managed to catch up with this species at the beginning of its flight period for a change (usually, I only catch the stragglers in August in the UK).

There were several males active in Bernwood Forest on 20th June:

[Wolfson]

Silver-washed Fritillary seemed to have an OK year in Cambridgeshire in 2020, with plenty in the woods about 2 miles from home. However, my favourite was the tatty female that turned up to enjoy the Creeping Thistles that grow in my garden. This was a first and brings the total seen in the garden to 26, all seen in 2020.

[Lee Hurrell]

I love Silver-washed Fritillaries. They are so majestic and a joy to watch. This stunning female was at West Wood, Winchester in early July.

Silver-washed Fritillary, female, West Wood, Winchester, Hampshire, 5th July 2020

[David M]

I love Silver-washed Fritillaries. They are so majestic and a joy to watch. This stunning female was at West Wood, Winchester in early July.

Me too, Lee. They are elegant and graceful and their behaviour is extremely interesting. Although I prefer the ground colour of the males, there's no doubt the females have the more imposing black markings, as yours amply displays.

[Philzoid]

This late in season female in reasonable condition was a real surprise Taken at Sheepleas a chalk grassland site.

Phil

[Wurzel]

Silver-washed Fritillary

When it came to selecting my Fave for this species it was actually a pretty easy choice, or so I thought. I already which individual butterfly I was going to choose it was obviously going to be the Valesina from Alners Gorse when I’d visited hoping for an early Brown Hairstreak. The problem came when choosing which particular photo of it to use… In the end I plumbed for this one as I was chuffed with the way that it shows up the underside to nice effect particularly the underside of the fore wing which in ‘normal’ Silver washed is a golden orange colour but not in a Valesina. I don’t know which but I always get the impression of humbugs and spearmint chews when looking at A Greenish Silver Washed?

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[millerd]

A nice valesina, Wurzel. I missed seeing what was apparently a corker of an example down at Chiddingfold in June, but the Emperors made up for that to some degree.

I saw plenty of other SWF down there this year, and the hot weather during that last week of June had them emulating their distant relatives.

However, the best display I saw of the species was at Bookham in July, when they were everywhere alongside the White Admirals and Purple Hairstreaks. I was able to watch several examples of the characteristic entertaining courtship behaviour and then spotted a bit of a kerfuffle at the side of the path on one of my wanderings down one of the less-used tracks. Looking closer I discovered a mating pair being harrassed by another (rather scruffy) male.

He soon gave up his pestering, leaving the happy couple alone, but before they settled down more comfortably they afforded some good open-wing views. The most noticeable factor here was the difference in size between the two - the female looked half as big again as the male, if not more: she was a whopper.

Dave