www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Week 4.

Here is the opportunity to post your favourite photo(s) of a particular species taken in 2013 (or the last time you saw one!).

This is part of a series of topics which will grow over 20 weeks throughout the winter, eventually covering all 59 species which are regularly found in the British Isles. 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 members 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

Dark Green Fritillary

I took my favourite Dark Green Fritillary photo at Martin Down one evening in mid July – which was a bit late and I was worried that I might miss them. As I drove there I visualized the types of shots that I wanted to get and a little over an hour later I’d ticked them all off.
This is my favourite because it shows the butterfly from an unusual viewpoint though most of the time I concentrate (possibly too much?) on getting the classic open or closed wing shots. This one however shows the butterfly off without the flashy, functional adornments and it prompted me to remember to think of them as insects. This may sound pretty obvious but I find myself often viewing them as separate and apart. Have a goodun

Wurzel

This butterfly, along with others, seems to have had a good year. I have a special fondness for the DGF as it was the first "different" species I came across when my interest in butterflies revived a few years back. This year, as back then, I saw them first at Box Hill, where on 4th July males were charging back and forth at high speed, disputing knapweed flowers with Marbled Whites and being seen off by Meadow Browns. I have chosen this one because it more unusually opted to suck up minerals from the chalky path instead of nectaring. Dave

This photo brings memories of a hot Summer's day at Bradenham, in the Chilterns. Cricket on the green, with the old Church and Manor House behind, and Dark Green Fritillaries skimming across the grasslands below Park Wood.
Mike

Thanks to some info obtained from MikeOxon i spent a couple of days in July on a hillside at Bradenham where there were dozens of these beautiful butterflies flitting from plant to plant. I took hundreds of photos and below are a selection of my favourites, including an open under wing shot of a pristine female which is my favourite image from the summer.

I've never seen a DGF around Marseilles, and I had to get a bit further north into the Massif Central, the Corèze départment, before I saw my first one. This is it but it was from last year (I hope I've identified it correctly). It may be a while before I see another.
Chris.

Nigel Kiteley wrote:..an open under wing shot of a pristine female which is my favourite image from the summer.

I fully understand why, Nigel.

You've even surpassed yourself on this occasion. To capture any species in a pose like that is tough, but to do so with a flighty species like DGF is some result.

Well done.

David M wrote:

Nigel Kiteley wrote:..an open under wing shot of a pristine female which is my favourite image from the summer.

I fully understand why, Nigel.

You've even surpassed yourself on this occasion. To capture any species in a pose like that is tough, but to do so with a flighty species like DGF is some result.

Well done.

Ditto,

an outstanding image.

All my Dark Green Fritillary photos this year were taken during one of two fantastic butterflying breaks that I had.

First a few favourites from when I spent three days staying in the Heddon Valley in early July. This meant that I could spend time with the butterflies earlier in the morning and again later in the afternoon when they were a bit less flighty and spending more time nectaring.
A month later I was up at Arnside, again for three days. Most of the male DGFs here were well faded and raggedy but I did find some females in fairly good condition in the meadows along the path going down towards Heathwaite including the example below which looks to be a bit darker than usual.
Some of the other females here were also well marked with a white shade to the forewing outer wing fringe spots which seems a bit more pronounced than on those that I see further south.
Cheers,

Neil.

My most reliable area for Dark Green Fritillaries has been poor over the last 2 years but nearby I did find this very fresh individual. It was along a path in Friston Forest and kept returning to one of the few knapweed flowers. http://bobsbutterflies.blogspot.com

This was one species that I saw (unexpectedly) to the point of distraction in 2013.

I managed to capture a mating pair:
I also had plenty of uppersides to choose from:
And then there were the sheer numbers:

Some fantastic photo's Of the DGF , I love your one Wurzal and Nigel's Under wing photo

Has for my pic's none this year a case of August in Kent and when I went up to Gaits Barrow it was too soon Goldie

All taken on Stockbridge Down, Hampshire. There were large numbers of them this year.

[quote="Nigel Kiteley"] an open under wing shot of a pristine female which is my favourite image from the summer.

Nigel I really love this image.