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Here is the opportunity to post your favourite photo(s) of a particular species taken in 2012 (or the last time you saw one!).

This is part of a series of topics which will grow over 20 weeks throughout the winter until all 59 UK species have been covered. The intention is to showcase three species per week (in alphabetical order), so please wait until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos. Our overseas friends are very welcome to fill in the obvious gaps relating to rare UK migrants.

Details of locations, dates, times and circumstances would be welcome and please feel free to contribute observations of behaviour, stories of personal encounters, anecdotes or other interesting points.

Vince

My favourite photos of Dark green Fritillary were taken at Martin Down on an afternoon in early July. Philzoid, me and our daughters had spent the morning in Bentley Wood with White Admirals, Silver Washed Frits and Large Skippers everywhere and we decided to try for Dark Green. So we piled into our respective cars and bombed over to Hampshire. It was quite frustrating as there weren’t an awful lot of nectar sources around, and the Dark Greens that we found didn’t hang around in one place for very long. It soon got round to time to make our way back so we said our goodbyes and headed back to the car. We were almost back at the car park when my daughter pulled me up short and pointed to a pile of dog muck at the side of the path. There were two Dark Green Frits taking minerals from it which meant that so long as I held my breath or didn’t breathe in through my mouth I could get really close. I have three shots as favourites. The first shows the pair and the behaviour, the other two are close-up shots of the individuals almost like “mug shots”. Have a goodun

Wurzel

The numbers of Dark Green Frtillaries this year in Friston Forest were very poor compared with recent years. I only managed to locate one fresh specimen which fortunately did hang around long enough for a few quick shots. The last 2 years have produced some large numbers and they generally nectar here allowing a close approach.

I only saw DGF in a couple of locations this year (whereas last year they seemed much more widespread). In fact, the two places were close (Box Hill and Denbies) and the sightings were on the same day. Here is a fresh male hunkered down from the wind at Denbies on 30th June.

Dave

This is a fast moving and skittish butterfly and presents certain difficulties with regard to approaching it to take satisfactory shots.

In a way, I feel that a photo that portrays these characteristics is somehow more appropriate, so my personal favourite from 2012 was an image taken warily at distance of an individual feeding briefly from a thistle head before zooming off at pace to do likewise somewhere else nearby, out of the range of my camera:

The only Dark Green Fritillaries that I saw this year were at Arnside Knott when I spent a couple of days there at the end of July. The DGFs were nearing the end of their flight season here and the males especially were looking very faded and tatty although some of the females were in a bit better condition.

I rather like the shot of the female below,
but my favourite has to be this underside shot of another female.
Cheers,

Neil F.

My favourite Dark Green Fritillary photo was taken in Spain in June.

I don`thave a favourite picture as i like all the photos i keep for one reason or another,whether good or bad. One of the many photos i was lucky enough to take of this species this year.This photo was taken at Chiddingfold Wood, Surrey.

Nick,
That is rather a splendid photo.I wonder how many hours it took?
Philip

Thank you Philip,thats very kind of you.I was very fortunate to have found this individual on a overcast day and spent 2 1/2 memorable hours photographing this butterfly along with some others who happened to be passing, who were also out butterflying that day, including Neil [Sussex Kipper] who got some lovely pictures as well. The following day i was lucky enough to find another male, the weather conditions being the same and, spent a further two hours photographing this beautiful insect.This year i have put in a lot of time trying to photograph the D.G.F., how many hours i don`t know but, sooner or later you are bound to get lucky. Here is a photo from that day.All the best, Nick.

Lovely images of Dark Greens. I managed to take a few, while I was looking for High Browns at Yewbarrow near Witherslack at the end of June. Peter.

My photo was taken on the 21st July, it was one of the best days I can recall, weather wise and photo wise has I managed to get the High Brown Frit as well Goldie