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Marsh Fritillary - Favourite Photo of 2023

Week 10

We’ve reached the half-way point! It’s generally around this point that I remind everyone that the grand finale in only 10 weeks time will be the favourite overall butterfly photo so hopefully you’ve already made your selection so as not to ‘use it up’ during the individual species threads .

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

Marsh Fritillary

I saw this species at the usual range of sites this year but their numbers did seem a little down from their ‘peak’ years. However what they lacked in quantity they certainly made up for in quality as I saw a cracking array of variations and one in particular shown out. However when I came to looking through my shots I couldn’t decide between my favourite variation and another shot which really stood out. Other factors such as where and whom the photo taken at/with couldn’t come into play as the deciding factor as they both came from the same day at Cotley Hill and were taken just shy of an hour apart. So in the end I picked both…it will make up for not being able to post anything in the Long-tailed Blue thread…

The first, chronologically, was the posed shot, perched on a grass stem, wings open wide and the light streaming through a la stained glass. I personally feel that this Fritillary is the best marked/patterned of all the UK Frits, edging the others out by virtue of the combined brilliance of both lower and top side and this shot goes to show why it would be a contender on the under-side alone. The second shot came slightly after the first. At first the almost two-tone appearance from the dark brown ground colour and the almost uniform orange chequers made it stand out. Then as it turned its place as a main contender was sealed as the lowest line of spots on the hind wing caught the light and took on a metallic golden lustre, twinkling in the sunlight. Stunning! Have a goodun

Wurzel

I had a very enjoyable walk from Battlesbury Hillfort to Cotley Hill and back at the back end of May, glorious weather, glorious scenery and oodles of Marsh Fritillaries. This one looked particularly picturesque sat on Hawthorn Blossom.

This butterfly pleased me . It was my 54th species for my local Malaga barranca and a little unexpected having not encountered it in any of the previous 10 years. It is a spectacular race of Marsh Fritillary and hard to believe that it’s the same species.

Sure is special, Andy.

I visited Glasdrum nnr at the end of May to seek out the chequered skipper. I had been recommended a marsh fritillary site at Port Appin near Glasdrum so I took a drive to port appin near lunch time.

Initially I didn't see anything but as I ventured further into the field I was rewarded with around a dozen on the wing.

Best photos attached

Bert.

My only time with Marsh Fritillaries this year was at Prestbury Hill near Cheltenham in Gloucestershire on 24th May.

Good numbers were flying with many of them showing the variation for which this species is known.
Cheers,

Neil

My local colonies had an appalling year (I only saw four, although I was out of the country for the bulk of their flight period).

So, my choice is this form beckeri taken in Andalusia during the first week of May:

Beckeri is a fantastic butterfly, isn't it? You could almost take it for Spanish Fritillary desfontanii, which can be confusing if they're at the same location. Some of them are an almost uniform brick red, like this one.
But I digress - the above is neither from the UK nor taken in 2023.

So here is a qualifying Marsh Frit, in the sense that is from the UK in 2023. Given that it was at Hutchinson's Bank, I'm conscious that some may dispute its qualifying credentials.
And the same could be said of this one, from the colony which seems to have turned up at Magdalen Hill Down in Hampshire.

Cotley Hill in Wiltshire provided good numbers and lots of variety on 19th May.They were also around on my return trip from the South West when I dropped in at Martin Down on 24th. Dave

A few people have mentioned this species' variability - these three are nearly consecutive photos from the Queyras (French Alps) in June.

overthepass wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2023 5:12 pm So here is a qualifying Marsh Frit, in the sense that is from the UK in 2023. Given that it was at Hutchinson's Bank, I'm conscious that some may dispute its qualifying credentials.

The Marsh Fritillary at Hutchinsons Bank appeared in Spring 2020 one of the many dumpings in the SE during lockdown, and has been breeding on site ever since in small numbers, the first larval web was found in Feb 2023, when larvae were sunning themselves very close to a Glanville web, that was being monitored since the summer of 2022, the larvae seem to have been using the same web as both were seen in it when the orange head capsules developed on the Glanville caterpillars.

The webs are all very closely monitored at Hutchinsons Bank, all have GPS data and mapping now.

At least it looks like the Marsh Dumper didnt bring any cotesia wasps with him, that could have infected the Glanville population that needs to be kept free of cotesia wasps.