www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Riding my quad along the edge of the wood yesterday a glimpse of something distinctly golden with a black pattern flashed past me. I have never seen a Pearl B, could this have been one? Nothing in the book looked quite as golden as I remember this one.

John

Freshly emerged male pearl-bordered fritillaries can be very bright orange.

I just wrote a whole paragraph describing the flight pattern of a male pbf in detail, but then I thought that was stupid of me, so I deleted it! Your best bet is simply to go back and check!! If one male pbf was roding along that woodland edge yesterday, the chances are that it and its mates will be doing the same thing in the same place tomorrow! Look for places along the track where bugle grows, preferably with dandelions nearby. When the sun first reaches the patch (the time of day depends on the aspect) the pbfs will sun and nectar. By the heat of the afternoon they will probably be cruising up and down their territories looking for females and rival males.

At this time of year pbf is not a wanderer, so if what you saw was one, then I feel confident you will be able to find more.

Guy

Yes there is bugle just coming into flower, apart from its herbal properties I always wondered what its use might be, many thanks for that advice.