www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

I am off to Cornwall for a couple of days in a week or so. Weather permitting hoping to see some Fritillaries.

Can anyone provide information on Breney Common please. Particularly where best in the site to look for Marsh Fritillary?

I appreciate given how late things are they might not be out by the time I'm there, but I'd at least like to know that I am looking in the right place.

many thanks
Edward

Hi Edward,

You might be slightly early for Marsh Fritillaries, but I have found them, not surprisingly, in the marshy, flat areas, where the caterpillar foodplant, Devils bit scabious, grows. Once you’re on the site, you need to follow the path, through some willow scrub, to reach the open, wet areas. Given the weather this spring, good walking boots, or even wellingtons, are advisable.

Depending on what time you have, and what transport you’re using, Predannack, on the Lizard peninsula, might be worth a try. The adults, on average, emerge slightly earlier there than at Breney Common.

Good luck. Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries can also be found at both sites, and elsewhere on the Lizard, usually from late May.