Heath Fritillary - Favourite Photo of 2012

[Vince Massimo]

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

[CFB]

I particularly like this unusual head-on underside view of a Heath Fritillary perched on some sort of Plantago:

--
Colin

[badgerbob]

I had the pleasure of meeting Iain Leach last year on the 27th May at East Blean Woods looking for Heath Fritillaries. We shared many poses as the weather was on the cool side to start with and the butterflies were very inactive. Before I left the party to look for Monkey and Lady Orchids the sun came out and the butterflies started to pose with wings fully open. Iain also found an emerging butterfly. Was unfortunately unable to make it over there this year. A fabulous species and not that long ago regarded as one of the most endangered species in the UK.

[millerd]

It's always worth the detour, even when the odds are stacked against it... I drove through almost endless pouring rain from home to Dover back on 1st July - but had time to make a side trip to East Blean Woods. The sun came out within half an hour of arrival - and so did the butterflies. Here are a couple: the first one found roosting whilst it was still drizzling (at first I thought this might be the only one I would see), and the second brought forth by the sun along with many others.

Dave

[Nigel Kiteley]

A 300 mile round trip to East Blean Woods on June 26th provided me with my first ever views of this beautiful butterfly, and what wonderful views they were. Several individuls were sitting around on Ragged Robin awaiting the sun which appeared for short spells. Also seen were many mating pairs, all in all a fabulous day and one of the highlights of the year for me.

[David M]

This is an easy butterfly to get close to and unsurprisingly most of these images are utterly superb.

How I wish it were even half as common as it is in France.

Roll on global warming!

[The Annoying Czech]

It's really hard to catch somebody's eye after Nigels's stuff. Anyway:



Heathie is reasonably common in all Czech mountains, rather local in low altitudes and sometimes bivoltine.

The photo was taken in May 27, 2012 in the first days of flight (alt. around 600, eastern Wallachia - cold region, hence so late). The storm was threatening, temperature suddenly dropped. So I and my lil' brand-new friend were both frozen, I suppose he was a bit more as he couldn't move Strong wind disallowed me to make a sharper shot, but the main goal was to wait for the last sun before the dark...

[Goldie M]

This Heath Fritillary is a favourite of mine and i'm not too sure why. Maybe because it seems to look at me in a proud sort of way Goldie